F:NV - Of Monsters and Men
by FitchersBird
Summary: Vulpes Inculta never thought much of the Courier at Nipton until he watches her torch Nelson and catches something underneath her facade. So much potential held back by ties to the NCR. He thinks he can manipulate her but raw emotion can create untameable feelings that will lead to them both having to question just how much they're willing to risk to get what they want.
1. Chapter 1 - Counting Bodies Like Sheep

UPDATED 07-JUNE-20

A/N: Can't believe I still knew the password to this account. This is a re-write of an older story I played with years ago. Using it for writing practice in between my main work and for a little fun. Will be F!Couier/Vulpes told from a mix between their perspectives and while as close to 'canon' as possible will sometimes go off it for fun.

Keep smiling

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The sight almost brought Vulpes to his knees.

A stalemate, several months long, brought to a bloody end in moments.

It wasn't the morning he had expected. Nor the news he had wanted to take back to Caesar but ever since Nipton there had been a tension in the air, like the electricity before a lightning storm and once the pressure broke it had been a glorious sight.

"There's only been one problem. If you can even call it that." said Alexius.

Vulpes could see the Decanus shuffle as he straightened his shoulders and clasped his hands behind his back. Mimicking Inculta like an infant who still considered it the highest form of flattery.

From the top of the tower, the barracks at Nelson and surrounding mountain had a strange surrealness to it, like a diorama set out to replicate the real thing; from Nelson below to the NCRs lost cause that was Forlorn Hope and the rotting pile of enemy bodies on the No Man's Land in-between. For only a diorama could be so quiet. So still.

It was one of those mornings where it had been far too quiet. The wind still to the point of non-existent with not one cloud above him. Dawn had yet to break over the horizon, the stars dimming in the morning sky, the vibrant blue shifting to purples and pinks.

And nothing made a sound. None of the usual morning noise of clattering pots and pans rang out as Legionaries in Nelson tried to cobble something edible together; or commands and insults being yelled over the clanging blades in practice duels. He couldn't even hear animals scurrying around from rock to rock.

The silence of the Mojave desert was deafening, and he didn't like it one bit.

"That woman. The Courier Six. She's been spotted hovering about Forlorn Hope."

"Of course she has."

The whore from Nipton with hair like a Mojave sunset and eyes like the mountain ranges, dressed in a ridiculous blue vault suit as if attempting to make herself look like a soft and sweet New Vegas tourist. The woman he should have dragged back to the Fort when given the chance.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say you sound concerned Alexius."

"No! Of course not Master Inculta." Alexius bowed his head, strands of blond hair falling into his face. He pushed them back again. "I never meant we couldn't deal with the woman just-"

"Just what Decanus? Because that is certainly what it was sounding like."

"J...Just that she's been spotted. Going to send out some men to keep and eye out on Forlorn Hope. Just in case she tries anything."

"Good." He crooned. "You see to the Courier's capture and there will be a great reward in your future."

Alexius smiled wide, but it was gone in a second, hidden behind the cold Legion facade.

"Just doing my duty, Master Inculta."

"Be sure you continue then."

Vulpes looked back to the Valley, his jaw set tight.

If he had been aware that the Courier who had been out for Powder Ganger blood, would turn out to be such a pain in Caesar's side, he would have taken the opportunity to drag her back to the Fort himself, a bomb collar around her pretty little neck.

He dug his nails into his palm.

When he first spotted her in Nipton, he thought her to be some lost New Vegas tourist wandering around like an aimless molerat in the Wastes. The bright blue jumpsuit standing out like a sinner in church among the sea of crimson flags and the wild golden bonfire Nipton had become. From afar she looked too delicate to be any kind of mercenary or caravanner, but the dark stains splashed against the blue clearly weren't her own, the large blade on her hip was coated in red and the pistol on her belt too close to be a mere prop.

Oh, how she had looked at him though. Wide-eyed like he was some sort of coyote as Vulpes circled her only to break into a smile when she heard what he'd done to the town. To the Powder Gangers.

How would her NCR friends feel if they knew? Know how she thanked him? Inculta of all people? How she had claimed to admire the purity of Legion justice?

The Powder Gangers had hurt some town, she told him. Disabled some very young kids with their bombs, they left laying around. She wanted them maimed for it, but dead was even better. Tortured to death better than that. He told her to share what had happened in Nipton and she had done just as he had asked. All the way up to the Mojave Outpost where it had spread faster than a sexual disease through the whores at Gomorrah. Such a good little Courier, he'd thought.

Such potential.

Then she had to go and ruin the good thing they had shared by playing hero with the Bear, which was only the beginning of his disappointment in her.

Non-stop reports of attacks on stations, parties, undercover operatives, freeing slaves and anything else that would weaken Legion hold East of the Colorado River. Everything the NCR had failed to even try to attempt she would do as if all the NCR failure was little more than a challenge for her to do better. Yet, despite all of the reports, something didn't sit right with him. It felt wrong and as fake as the smiles at the Ultra-Luxe, and Vulpes wasn't about to let the Legion be brought down by some false saviour and her artificial smiles.

The vibrant orange sun rose higher above the horizon, sending beams of lights across the glittering sands. Smoke snaked into the sky, like rounds of dark dyed cotton packed on top of each other until they could no longer support themselves, toppling back over and around the roof of Nelson Barracks near the square.

_Why does it look like-_

Then as lightning hits soon after the flash, he heard the crackle and snapping of wood and the stink of a pyre made from whatever they got their hands on, blew over them like a noxious cloud.

Alexius covered his nose and leaned over the rail. "What-?"

It was over with faster than he would have hoped or expected for a Legion controlled barracks. It would be embarrassing if it hadn't been Dead Sea's.

Gunfire cracked across the silent wasteland, deafening explosions reverberating off the rocks. Soldiers on both sides roaring orders in Latin and English across the camp. Flashes of crimson uniform stumbling out of the barracks, half-dressed, only to crumple into the dirt before they could take another step - the sound of the sniper shot following seconds behind. The Legion soldiers who did manage to escape the holdings did without much armour or weaponry and scattered rather than say in formation. There were a few that made the attempt, but NCR soldiers closed in quick, slashing and cutting them down, sending them all scattering again.

The same NCR soldiers they had spent months breaking.

Ones Dead Sea had claimed weren't even an issue anymore.

It almost made him smile. An amusing and fitting end to all Dead Sea's bravado. As if Dead Sea was making up for all the orders and suggestions he had ignored by failing spectacularly and right in front of Vulpes eyes.

_Serves you right you weak minded cowardly pric-_

Then he saw her. In the midst of it all.

It shouldn't have been a surprise. It made sense for Nelson to be on her list of targets. Another notch on the bed she shared with NCR.

She was still in that ridiculous Vault Tech jumpsuit, but it had been upgraded, with heavy leather bindings covering any weak points. It didn't take away from how foolish she looked in it. Even if it had been the culprit behind his mind running wild when alone in his tent. The way her curves filled it out around the hips, wondering how soft her thighs would feel wrapped tight around his waist, the sounds she would make when he sucked on her-

He heard her over the gunfire, encouragement and orders as she stormed the town with them. While most had gone to attack the rest of the camp, several NCR soldiers stuck to her like super glue, making sure to shoot, decapitate and gut any Legion officer that came within killing distance.

_"Ad aciem!"_ Alexius shouted. _"Celer-"_

The men rushed to obey the command and form the battle lines, but Vulpes raised a hand.

_"Consiste."_ They halted.

"Sir?"

She was so violent in her kills, and every move she made was intense and severe as if she was trying to build up enough force to cut their limbs from their bodies with one swing of her blade. It seemed almost wrong he was getting such a view for nothing. Almost perverse to witness the way her muscles tensed and tightened with each thrust of her blade, sweat dripping from her face and her face twisted into an animalistic rage. Like a wild beast massacring an enemy nest and he couldn't look away. He had to see how it ended. How his beast came out at the end.

"Dead Sea was aware of the trials this position would cost him," Vulpes said. "Surrounded by mountains, Nelson was always going to be a dangerous position to defend. This is his time to prove to Lord Caesar he can keep it."

The men behind didn't say a word, instead looked to Alexius who confirmed the order.

Alexius cleared his throat and stood tall, but he still looked like a child playing leader with a round face holding too much youthful fat and peach fuzz for facial hair.

A thin smirk pulled across his face. Wondering if his own commander had seen the same child before him when Inculta had tried to pull the same thing all those years ago.

"Sir what if we ambush them from behind? Take them by surprise?"

"And if they've left soldiers behind just for that eventuality?"

"Well…"

"If you're going to question me, at least ensure you have a better plan."

He flinched but held his ground. "I-"

"Dead Sea believed he could hold Nelson despite its strategic shortcomings. Believed he had _ground_ the will of the NCR soldiers within Forlorn Hope to dust. He believed he had broken them beyond all measure and that they were _easy_ targets." He stepped closer, enough to almost be whispering into the Decanus' ear. Alexius looked ahead, jaw set. "Do they look broken to you?"

Legionaries lay sprawled across the dirt and sand. Body upon body piling up, dumped like soiled rags. Among the sea of red lay the odd tanned uniform with the mark of the Bear. A group of NCR pulled one of the remaining Legion men into the square, laughing at the cries from the boy. Sixteen if Vulpes remembered right. Sent to Dead Sea's camp cause he was a lost cause, not fit for anything more than washing uniforms. Too soft. Not that anyone but Vulpes knew that.

The crosses at the square lay empty, the men that had been nailed to them freed. Alexius opened his mouth to say something but before he could try the soldiers pulled the Legionary up onto the cross, cheers following. Blood stained the stone below and dripped down to the sand. His feet almost hanging loose where they had stopped hacking at the back of his ankles.

Alexius flinched, his knuckles white and shook his head to answer Vulpes question.

Vulpes continued.

"You may want to send your men on a suicide mission but I won't," Vulpes said. "When they die in battle, it will be in one worthy of them. Not to help Dead Sea repair his disgraced name. Dead Sea was the one who promised Lord Caesar Forlorn Hope. Swore the Bears soldiers would be ground into the Mojave dust before the month's end. If he can't defend the town with the supplies and troops he has then Nelson falls. One extra Contubernium and their Decanus will not change that."

Alexius didn't respond. He watched the horror below with a calm Vulpes knew all too well.

"Guard the tower," Vulpes told the other men. "If they do choose to start a fight at least be ready for them."

They didn't look to Alexius this time.

"That anger, the rage inside," he said to the Decanus. "Hold onto it. And remember this when facing down the NCR and their ilk. But also remember this is a mistake caused by Dead Sea's hubris."

Alexius focused on Nelson, his lips pressed together tight and eyes dark almost empty of light.

Vulpes grinned.

Empty buildings and a burning pyre were all that was left by the time the fighting ended. It was a town laid waste, hollowed out and with the morning sun, it bloomed into glorious flames.

The truth was it had been a terrible choice for a camp from the start. It had confused even Lanius when he saw the NCR had taken it. He didn't believe it worth the effort, even with it being near the Colorado River, and Vulpes for once agreed with the man. Stuck in a valley made it easy to surround and hard to defend. He only had to look at it and it's position once to know Nelson would be a never-ending string of sieges and a waste of soldiers, time and resources.

Dead Sea just saw opportunity. Clearly spending too much time thinking of reasons why he should take Nelson, he never considered the reasons he shouldn't. Perhaps the Courier's show would be a good lesson in Legion hubris for any other Decanus like Dead Sea. Show them the fire the Gods would bring down upon them if they flew too close to the sun.

Some of Alexius' men requested to move on ahead to Cottonwood Cove. Let Caesar know about Nelson's fall, but Caesar would know in time if the smoke wasn't already visible from the Fort.

A glint caught his eye, that of sun hitting glass.

They had strung another man up on the other crucifix in the square. Something felt wrong, missing almost as if he were forgetting something or someone.

Then he spotted the Courier with a sniper rifle trained on him.

Alexius and another soldier grabbed Vulpes and pulled him down. He pushed against their prying grasp, eyes searching wildly for the Courier.

The light reflected again.

Vulpes ordered them to stand down.

Her mongrel red beret friend wouldn't have let the light reflect like that and she wouldn't be so stupid as to shoot.

Again the light reflected, and she peaked, looking above the scope.

The light of the dawn with the fire roaring in the backdrop did a lot for her. Brilliant in it's orange and red, it set her strawberry blonde hair alight. It had come loose from her red bandana in the mayhem, a mass of hair that waved and curled in whichever direction it pleased and reached a blunt cut at her shoulders.

He could just see her expression, a brow that sat heavy on a face he swore the Gods must have made just for him. So expressive. So _easy_ to read. It had been a treat to watch her squirming turn to delight and pride by the end of their time in Nipton. He wished he could see it better standing atop the tower. See each muscle twitch and the fire in her eyes. The scorching anger.

He stepped back, grinding his teeth hard.

_Turn away, you idiot. Don't give her the attention she wants._

Would she even remember him? Recall the garb of the Frumentarii, the Vexillarius helmet of a coyote head and think it was him standing there under the goggles? Watching her just like he had before. He turned away and said to Alexius.

"Best we discuss our-"

A shot rang out and skimmed the top of his helmet.

The ground gave way underneath him. The men yanking him back down, and before he even had a moment, Alexius called out the more orders in Latin.

_Get her_.

"Don't move!" Vulpes shouted.

"Sir-"

"That was an order Decanus!"

She didn't fire a second time. The rifle back in the hands of the mongrel by the time Vulpes got to his feet.

He held his breath.

Forlorn troops dragged the captive out to her.

Vulpes should have known.

He was grotesque, face broken and bloodied beyond recognition. With each tug and shove forward the Decanus cried like a whimpering bitch making sure it was loud enough to be heard even with the busted lip that split down his chin. What was left of his blond hair was stuck in matted clumps to his bloodied scalp.

Vulpes had seen unbroken whelps with more pride.

Blood trailed from where someone had taken an axe and attempted to hack off his feet, black and smearing all over the dust and sand. With every kick of an NCR soldier, he collapsed and sobbed harder. Dead Sea's armour and helmet had been relieved from him leaving him in undergarments stained a berry red and brown. Vulpes had seen slaves with robes the same colour after being lashed within an inch of their life, then put back out to carry enough load on the very backs that had just been beaten.

The Courier just stood. Waiting and watching the tower. Watching Vulpes.

They pulled Dead Sea over a large stone boulder. Two soldiers holding him down by his arms. Biting, kicking, clawing, spitting he struggled against the men, but they didn't shift.

Dead Sea made to sure to hurl every insult and curse that had ever been utter from his lips to the soldiers holding him down, to the Courier ordering it. From screams and pleas for forgiveness and mercy, demands of freedom before he went right back to calling the Courier every name for a whore and slut he could think of, in Latin. Insults that would put even Silus to shame.

_How pathetic._

Vulpes should have saved everyone the inconvenience and thrown him from the Grand Canyon months ago.

The fire billowed behind her, rising higher.

The Courier removed the machete from her belt and held it right above her head like some kind of trophy.

It took him a moment to really see it. To know what he was looking at. If he wasn't in company he would have genuinely laughed.

He could picture it. How Dead Sea would have screamed at her when she removed his prized LIberator from his person, his face contorted into the fury of a wild animal that he would believe looked so intimidating.

Had she been who'd done that to his face? To his ankles? After he demanded she not touch the blade? To show he had no power any more? Had she enjoyed it? Hitting him until she heard something, anything, crack. Until her knuckles bled and arm bruised?

He chewed on the inside of his lip.

"_W-ulpes_ Inculta!" she shouted.

The words set off a mine inside his chest. His knuckles white around the railing pipes.

"Hoc est exemplum."

_This is your object lesson._

A tight conceited smile spread across his face. He tried to hold it back, but there was only so much he could do before the smug satisfaction broke through and was all over his face.

The men muttered to each other, then to Vulpes asking how she had spoken their language but it was little more than white noise.

When she claimed she admired the purity of the Legion's justice, admired the lesson he taught in Nipton, part of him thought she had been saying anything just to get away from him. Anything to make him happy enough to just leave.

But this.

_Oh, my dear Courier...You shouldn't have._

The smoke was thick and heavy, rotten on his tongue.

Dead Sea called to him. His voice as grating and pitiful as he remembered. "Vulpes? Vulpes, help m-"

Dead Sea's own machete came down on his neck like a hammer. His screams ending with a blood-filled gurgle that made Vulpes grin. The Decanus bucked and flailed, the blade embedded in bone and muscle.

_Bet you wish you sharpened the blade now you arrogant little shit._

One of the men behind him screamed she was an NCR whore.

Vulpes squashed down the urge to throw him over the tower.

She yanked it out, and blood splattered up and over her jumpsuit and face like Raider warpaint. Not even a flinch, and she swung the blade down.

Again.

And again.

The head tumbled from his neck.

Stringy. Pulpy.

His sinew and blood covered her. He couldn't tell if she was staring at him or at the tower in its entirety, but Gods for a moment it felt as if it was just her and him in the entire Mojave. As if her eyes were burning into him, setting his skin aflame with holy hellfire. Something so raw, so primal.

_Craving_.

Dead Sea's head rolled in the sand and dirt. She grasped it by its hair, holding it up for everyone to see.

"_Kai_-zar postero!"

Vulpes spine straightened.

_Caesar is next._

She threw the head behind her into the pyre.

Light work was made of the rest of the bodies till nothing was left of the others but bits of charred body and ash.

He sent everyone else down to watch for any attacks while he kept an eye on the burning camp.

On the Courier's next big performance.

The NCR soldiers swarmed her. Hugs, kisses, handshakes and the respectful nod from those less willing to show so much affection. She hugged them back, squeezing tight and giving words of encouragement, no doubt with that big toothy grin of hers that made him feel sick.

It was like a New Vegas show where the girls put on that one smile, far too large and too bright to be real.

Then it was as if something hit her. She spun towards the burning pyre again as if she had caught sight of something, like an insect or a bright light. Her mongrel friend didn't notice her wander away from the group. Several soldiers did though, but she just waved them away with a smile only for it to turn downwards once they looked away.

With each step, it was as if a part of her was pulled out. Her brow heavy and complexion turning almost ashen. She pressed her palms into the hollows of her eyes, but whatever the image was, it still there when she opened them. She stared at her hands, stained with blood, to the pyre then back. Back at the body upon body burning on it.

Her jumpsuit did little to help her, smearing the stains around. She was more red than blue. As red as Legion armour with that machete still tucked into her belt and stained with the blood of its previous owner.

She ran over to the water pump and shoved her hands under running water, rubbing them hard to try and remove the stains.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The water ran clear, but again she pushed the lever for the pump down and washed them.

The mongrel found her at the pump ten minutes later. Had to pull her away.

Vulpes laughed.

It was almost too easy.

She would be the Legion's perfect object lesson.

-/-/-/-/-/-


	2. Chapter 2 - Oh, Mr Wolf

UPDATED:07/06/2020

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Despite all its flaws, there weren't many who didn't fall for the charms of New Vegas.

The bright lights shone like jewels in the blazing sun and sparkled in the moonlight, dazzling travellers for miles as they hoofed it across the scorching sands. It was a beacon of civilization, an oasis in the middle of the Wastes.

One that attracted profligates like flies to shit.

Yet even Caesar had fallen for it. Wanting it for his own.

Vulpes had attempted to justify following the Courier around that way.

Everyone had something they wanted they shouldn't. Had something they couldn't let go of, especially in the Mojave.

From his own table, he had been able to watch her and her rag-tag group of misfits shuffle in, bloody and dusty from the Freeside streets and a good hour behind schedule. Some locals even managed to get in one of Hadrian's comedy shows, get hammered and leave; all in the time it took the misfits to argue about their recent job, get a round of drinks and get to discussing what their plan was.

Vulpes loosened the bolo tie that had been strangling him and leaned forward in his chair. They didn't even register him tucked away, hidden almost in the corner yet able to hear everything they said.

It was like listening to children; night after night, the same arguments and the same resolutions only for something during the day to drag it up again. He hadn't been sure what to expect when he followed her from Nelson, but them turning to the Courier and ask what they were doing next, shrugging then going along with everything she said wasn't even a consideration. The arguments only occurring once it was too late to fix. It had been laughable to first witness, yet was getting to the point of pathetic and judging by the look on the Courier's face Vulpes wasn't alone in that feeling.

She appeared older than he remembered. The fresh-faced young thing that had stared at him wide-eyed as if he was a coyote as he had circled her, all the way back in Nipton, was in there somewhere but buried underneath the calluses, dirt and blood. Even in Nelson, her head had still been above the sand, but now dark circles had settled under her eyes, and her strawberry blonde hair looked even wilder than he had ever seen. Her shoulders slumped down and a dense grey cloud had settled over her face. She rubbed it hard like a child trying to convince her parents she wasn't tired. Her face and the tips of her ears were tinted red with the sun, in a perpetually embarrassed flush. One more stint out in the wastes and it would turn angry and burn if she wasn't careful.

He swirled the bottle of beer and took a drink.

It was easy to disappear in the Wrangler, even in an empty bar. Stay quiet, and no one batted an eyelid your direction. It was almost as easy as standing out, making himself too loud as he had done the first night he showed up. She smiled the sweetest smile the first time she caught his eyes and all without even the slightest inkling of recognition. Her eyes moving away before he had a chance to return the gesture. It soon turned into a smile every time she caught sight of him. A wave hello was a new thing along with her listening in to his conversations—all without even a flinch of realization.

Those bullets had really done a number on her, as much as he heard she liked to deny it.

Vulpes wished he had time to play with his Courier, to tease her closer to his table, but he had bigger plans in Vegas. It hadn't stopped him from making the pitstop though. The moment he had passed through the Freeside gate, it was if his feet had a mind of their own, walking him towards the Wrangler and into the seat that gave him the perfect view.

Just for a look, he swore. He had put aside enough of his duties for this more personal venture. He could leave her for a day without losing anything of importance.

Since she walked in, still in the Vault Suit, her attention had been turned to her companions, jumping between whoever she was the most irritated with. She didn't even look at Francine as she bought the drinks, too busy arguing with the caravanner about what was considered safe to do in the middle of a gunfight and wasn't. The only acknowledgement Francine got was a thank you before they all hunkered down and the arguing got even louder while the Courier got quiet till she sat among her companions, pulling at her hair so tight he thought she may just tear it out.

A courier, a sniper, a doctor, a scribe and a drunk merchant all sitting in a bar.

Sounded like the set up for one of Hadrian's terrible punchlines.

He wasn't sure how she'd managed to get such a mixed band of misfits and losers in the same room together, never mind travelling in the same group or if they even knew where each other's loyalties lay. She was careful to take the sniper with her to Nelson, knowing the others wouldn't agree with how far she was going for them. Careful to keep the sniper out of the scribe's Brotherhood dealings and vice versa. So much work to prevent such replaceable people from leaving her.

Just looking at them was like staring at a gas barrel in the middle of a shoot out waiting for the stray shot.

"Okay!" Vulpes heard her shouted, the sound more like an exasperated sigh. She pushed her hair away from her face, interlocking her hands behind her neck. "I get it, we're all pissed off. But can we please stop bickering for five minutes?"

They all nodded, much to the Courier's visible relief.

"Look...guys...I know it's a lot of caps to be askin' for here. I'd…" She stopped as if unable to think if the right words. On the days he found himself in the Wrangler watching her, had caught himself on multiple occasions watching her face shift from emotion to emotion. Almost as if she didn't know herself how to feel and needed to test out how it felt on her face before sticking with it. Each one was over-exaggerated to the point of mimicking characters in the comic strips he would find in ruins. "I-I just want you to know that I'd understand if you don't want to-"

"Will you stop that already!" Cassidy said a bit too loud. She lounged on a sofa, her feet up on the table and her face flushed red from the half bottle of whisky she had been working on since they had sat down. "It's fine! Not about to let that daisy suit getaway 'cause of a few caps."

"Over two thousand caps each isn't exactly a few."

It was the first thing the sniper had said all night, choosing instead to stare into space, a pair of ridiculous aviator glasses hiding his eyes.

"I know," the Courier said. "None of you need-"

"No. I don't think you do. Or any of you do." The sniper said. "Two thousand each is ten thousand caps. That's almost what? A two year stay at the Wrangler? Five hundred Mex-X doses? Hundred and forty stimpaks? There are folks out there who won't see even a tenth of the caps like that in their lifetime, nevermind in the weeks we're hoping to raise all of it."

Vulpes clenched his jaw and squeezed the bottle tight.

_Uptight fucking cunt, uptight fucking cunt, uptight fucking cun-._

He took a swig of his drink, enjoying the way it burned down his throat. A comfortable haze had settled over his mind and limbs several bottles ago, leaving him feeling like he was draped in a warm blanket. It wasn't enough to calm the raging storm in his chest, tight enough to be felt in his throat.

Vulpes swirled the bottle again.

"Since when can you count?" Cassidy remarked.

"It is a lot." The doctor, Arcade said to the Courier. He leaned forward to clasp his hands together, thinking. "I don't even think there's enough work in Freeside to even get that amount."

"Maybe not in Freeside but definitely in the Mojave," Veronica replied. "Trust me. Someone always needs help with something. Just need to find them. And yeah it's a lot, but it's for a good cause! And the robots just need to know you have the money on you, right? They don't take it? Do they?"

"They don't." the sniper added. "And I didn't mean I wasn't going to help. Just wanted to make sure we were all...all on the same page."

He looked away from the eyes that had turned on him and crossed his arms like a petulant child.

Cassidy snickered.

"Wow, Beret. You feelin', okay? This is the most you've spoken in weeks. Was starting to think you'd gone mute or something."

"Cass." the Courier warned.

"What? I ain't wrong! We were all thinkin' it."

"At least know when to keep my mouth shut, tumbleweed." the sniper replied

"What did you just call me?"

Vulpes smiled into his drink. Trust it to be the mongrel to take the first shot.

"Are you having trouble with your hearing there, Cassidy?"

"Guys!" the Courier half-shouted, looking around as if there were any other patrons to bother.

"It's the middle of the night can we please keep it down!"

Cass snorted. "Who we disturbing? The radroaches?"

"Hey!" The female Garret twin shouted from the bar. "The Wrangler is Radroach free thank you very much!"

"People free as well from the looks of it!"

"Cass!" The Courier warned and pulled her back, but Cass yanked her arm again.

"What kind of establishment you running you can't even attract-" Veronica swung Cass around by the arm and walked her to the stairs, holding an iron grip to her shoulder.

"Ow! Leggo of me!"

"It's time for someone to go to bed!" the scribe sang. "How about we try this again in the morning when someone has had a little less Whisky?" She asked the Courier.

"I am fine!" Cass argued.

"To go to bed? Great! So am I! Sorry, Ms Garret!"

Cass tried to fight against the scribes grip but failed miserably. Giving in as they reached the middle landing.

"Night, guys!" and the door slammed shut.

"Well, I hope you're proud of yourself Boone," Arcade said. "Don't know what you have against Cass but tumbleweed? Really?"

"If she's one then what the hell am I?" The Courier asked.

"That's different."

"You're just blatantly playing favourites now," Arcade said.

Boone didn't reply to the doctor or look at him. Just stared ahead with those idiotic shades. The blonde doctor sighed.

"You talk to him. Only one he listens to anyway."

_Just hit him, doctor. You know you want to._

Arcade didn't. Instead, he pat the Courier on the shoulder-

_(first, he'd remove his fingernails. One at a time. Then his fingers-)_

-headed upstairs, leaving her alone with the mongrel.

Of course.

Vulpes dug his thumb into the fleshy part of his finger.

"You really do have a way with words Boone." She said, rubbing her eyes.

"Cass wasn't taking this seriously. She never takes anything-"

"She was and does, and you know it." she snapped. "Her serious and you're serious are just different is all." she sighed.

Boone snorted. "That's one way of putting it."

"Have you ever tried speaking to her?" The Courier asked. "Getting to know her? You've both lost a lot. Both while in the Mojave. And you're both NCR."

He snapped. "She ain't NCR. Only loyalty Cass has is to herself."

"She's been loyal to us."

"She's ain't following anyone but you around right now."

"Really, Boone? 'Cause you're totally here for Veronica and Arcade?"

Boone kept talking, not even listening or not wanting to hear what she said. "She's only here while you keep her entertained. She'll high tail it to Utah the second it gets serious. Seen it all the time before I became a red beret."

The Courier sighed, and Vulpes caught the subtle flash of her eyes rolling. He brought the bottle back to his lips, a smile playing on them.

"You know it's funny. Out in the Wasteland, I wouldn't doubt you a second."

"But?" Boone asked.

"But you're wrong this time. I know it. Feel it in my bones."

"You have the same gut feeling when that guy shot you in the head?"

_Idiot Mongrel._

Her jaw tightened and relaxed and tightened again, and she swayed back and forth of her heels like legion dogs preparing to bite.

"Goodnight Boone."

She headed towards the bar, shaking her head and muttering to herself. The sniper swore under his breath and pushed himself out of the chair.

"Jude wait." She stopped as he asked, and half turned to him.

"What-"

"You-" he cut off, his jaw tight. "You...you've done...a lot for me. More...more than I deserve."

"Boone I don't expe-"

He stopped her. "I know you don't. You never do. For anything. Even with the others I-I just don't want to see you getting taken advantage off or left high and dry by some tumble-"

"_Boone_."

He sucked in air through his teeth. "I'm not apologizing to her."

"Never expected it."

"Just keep an eye on her."

"I won't watch her as if she's doing something wrong. I'm not the NCR or Legion. I won't go around policing my friends and their behaviour. If she wants to leave, she can leave. She doesn't have to hang around and I ain't forcing her to. The same goes for you, Boone."

"Do you want me to?"

"What?"

"Go?"

_Please do._

"Of course not. But I don't want you feeling as if you have to be here due to some misplaced sense of loyalty."

"That isn't why I'm here."

"Good." she sighed. "Can I trust you, Boone?"

"Of course you can."

"Then I can trust Cass cause she came to me the same way you did."

It was as if the words she had uttered, pained him. His entire body recoiling in disgust.

"Not the same. You...if not for you I…" he cut off and looked away. "She would have gotten away with it."

"You would have found out eventually. Someone else-"

"Jea- She was a blind spot. Even though I knew she wasn't fond of Carla, I never thought...not for one second...I don't want you to make the same mistake with Cass."

"I won't."

Vulpes sank into his chair. She spent far too much time with the mutt. Perhaps this would stop her insistence on bringing him along. When the drunk wasn't with her, at least.

Jude turned back to the bar.

"G'night Boone."

With a frustrated grunt, Boone lunged forward and grabbed her wrist.

Vulpes tasted blood. His nails scraped at the arm of the chair, knuckles a stark white against the dark faded leather.

"You deserve more credit. For everything. I know you hate it when I mention what I've seen during service, but if I'm anything, it's not blind. I noticed everything you do out there, and if there was one thing that always drove me insane in the NCR it was seeing good people, good soldiers, never getting the credit they deserve and feeling like failures because of it." He let go of her arm and stepped back. "I know it won't mean much coming from me, but I just wanted to let you know that you've done good out there. Made a real difference. If nothing else...be proud of that."

Vulpes nails hit wood through the deep soft foam.

The mongrel would be first. No need to savour it, just get it over and done with to get the mutt out of his way once and for all. Strung up and left on the cross until dehydration or starvation got to him. Both would be a delight to watch.

Or perhaps he would make a good meal for the hounds? It would take some convincing for Anthony to hand over the dogs and to make sure they were starving before he could leave them alone with the sniper, but the result would be euphoric, and oh, she would scream for Vulpes then. While not in the way he wanted, she would scream all the same. And eventually, she would forgive him and give him everything he desired.

"Thanks, Boone." She said while her tone said otherwise—bitting, empty.

The sniper didn't hear it and replied with a curt military nod and without a word headed up the stairs to the room beside the two women.

Vulpes and the Courier breathed out.

"You okay over there, kid?" Francine called.

The Courier stood between the chairs, looking like a runt abandoned by its mother and pack.

"Yep." But the word was hard and sharp.

"Don't sound like any of that went well," Francine said, turning back to the shelf and ticking things off her list. "Even I'm glad it's over."

Jude laughed, the sound muffled by her hands. "Don't happen to know a rich and desperate man with ten thousand caps to spare, do you?"

Francine snorted. "I know plenty. But you really don't wanna know what they want for it."

"I don't know…" Jude mused, leaning on the bar. "How bad can it be?"

A smile; slow and burning and all teeth spread across his lips.

"Worse than bad kid." Francine winked. "How's your whisky loving friend?"

"Probably out for the count but she'll be fine. Sorry about what she said."

Francine just laughed. "Ain't like she was wrong. Just glad she manages to keep the contents of her stomach down and not all over my floors. Wantin' your usual?"

"Please."

The twin stepped away from her inventory check and pulled out a cold Sarsaparilla from the small fridge she kept hidden under the bar.

"Sure I can't tempt you with anything stronger? Looking like you need it."

Jude shook her head, her hand buried into her pockets but failing to produce any caps. Still, Francine thumped the top of the lid with the back of her hand several times, using the bar to leverage the lid off. The sound of wood splintering and the hiss of the cap popping open followed Jude calling: "Found some!"

"Never doubted."

The Courier took a long and deep drink, followed by a heady moan.

Vulpes dug his thumb into the fleshy part of his index finger.

That sound of her's had begun leaking into his mind the more he prolonged this 'extracurricular activity' of his—the very thought of her shifting from a grey Mojave stormcloud to the raging deep crimson of Legion armour. Of him convincing her and coercing as he had in Nipton; switching to red at the heat of her naked form under his own as she mewled, whimpered and moaned for him. Screamed for him. His mind burning bright at the thought of getting the Butcher of Nelson onto her knees for him. Mouth open and begging.

Vulpe undid the top button of his shirt and breathed deep.

"God, I needed that." said the Courier.

She rested her chin on the sarsaparilla bottle, her brow furrowed in thought before she looked back up to Francine. Her profile appearing so soft in the glow of the lights; freckles spotting her face, more focused around her nose, forehead and lips. How childish they made her look. How naive.

"You wouldn't happen to know of any jobs in-"

"The area? Answer is the same as it was when you asked me the first time. And second. And tenth. You finish what I've given you. Then we'll see." Francine replied, continuing to count.

The Courier's face wrinkled her nose scrunching in a way that made him clench his jaw.

"I asked earlier?"

"Yeah, kid. You did."

"Oh. Sorry."

Francine sighed and turned to her. "It's okay. You told me 'bout your whole...brain thing." It was like she struck was by a stroke of genius. "Wait a minute. Don't move!" She warned her and ran into the back.

"Everything okay?" But she got no answer.

She tapped her fingers against the glass bottle and looked around the bar, but before her eyes met his Francine ran back in.

"Here you go," she said, smiling wide and dropped a clipboard on the counter. "Knew I had another one laying around. How 'bout you try writing stuff down. Keep yourself right. Helps me organize and remember the shit I have to do."

"Thanks, Francine. I'll do that."

"Don't let anyone say the Garret twins don't do nothin' for folk." She glanced up at the empty bar and sighed. "Though, if you're still looking for work, how about I pay you to kick the NCR and the King's asses for me? Look at the state of this place!"

"That feud still going on?"

"Wouldn't be if you went and introduced yourself to the King instead of pussyfooting around it."

The Courier's shoulders slumped. "Really not in the mood of getting involved in NCR issues right now."

Francine narrowed her eyes. "Ain't they callin' you-"

"Don't...remind me. Please."

"Can't hide forever, kid! He doesn't get his goons to give gifts to just anyone. Thinkin' he may just listen to you."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

He wanted to shake her. Watching her the last two weeks had been like watching a fish floundering on land gasping for air and not understanding what it had to do to survive or why it was slowly suffocating. A poorly made copy that mimicked his Courier's voice and didn't have one strong opinion or a bad word to say to anyone. Yet every so often there was a flash, something that would spark her again and he would catch that same look from Nelson and Nipton. A lust and craving he knew all too well wouldn't be satisfied no matter how many lay dead at her feet or how much blood was spilt on the desert sand.

But like the sand, it always blew away, and she would go back to this weak thing before him that left any meaningful choices to her companions. Resulting in the same arguments every night they got back.

It had been amusing at first to watch her breakdown in Nelson over her own violence. Acting contrite as if that would make up for what she had done. But the joke had run its course. He would have prefered if she was still attacking every Legion convoy and settlement she came across and continued to be the NCR whore that would have jumped at the chance to help the Bear against the Kings. That, at least, was something he could work with. But while the creature before him was just tiresome, she wasn't entirely gone just yet.

"Thanks for that Francine." she sighed to the empty room and Vulpes realized he'd missed half their conversation.

The twin had disappeared into the back room. Something he found she did every Friday night for inventory check, without fail. Would be back there for thirty minutes if nothing brought her running out.

The Courier reached into one of the satchels on the belt and pulled a small bottle. It rattled, sounding almost empty, as she emptied pills into her hand and downed them.

The bar was deathly quiet. The jukebox had been turned off for Hadrian's stand-up act, and no one had thought to turn it back on, leaving the buzz of the lights in the hollowed-out bar. Through the cracks in the windows, the sound of the crickets leaked into the silence.

She let out a deep breath, and she tried to place the sarsaparilla bottle back down, but it shuddered against the wood as if being shaken by an unseen force. She pressed down hard against the bar and let go as if afraid it was going to start moving again.

Then he heard the zipper and his mouth went dry.

He hadn't expected the scars. Too many to count and many too close together to really get an idea of what had caused them. They peaked out from under her off-white vest and went up under her hair and across her strong shoulders. Her toned yet soft arms seemed free from the damage apart from the odd mark between the freckles and moles.

Vulpes had seen marks caused by whips and fire before but there was too great a mix to pinpoint any particular weapon. He had to wonder if even she knew what they were. Where they had come from. The only scar she would have any knowledge of now being the one left by Benny.

Vulpes jammed his teeth together and forced the thought out of his head.

_You mean the mark her left on her before you did?_

She tied the arms of the jumpsuit around her waist and off-white vest. After a moment, she gripped the pen tight and focused on the paper, stopping only to check that large obnoxious personal computer on her arm she called a Pip-Boy. That only seemed to make her mood worse until -

"Fuuuuck."

He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek.

_Fuuuuck. Vulpes._

He shifted in his seat. The brown dress slacks suddenly getting far too tight.

_Vulpes...Please._

Fuck.

He focused on the wall in front of him and brought the bottle to his lips, but it was empty, just like his chest.

She was a woman. A profligate woman. He couldn't swing a molerat without hitting one in New Vegas. He could think of several he could go and see at that very moment who would be willing to to...relieve his tension. And one who hadn't caused as much problem for the Legion as she had.

_Ah, but isn't that exactly why you're here? The sight of her in Nelson still gets you off at night you sick-_

Vulpes pulled on his jacket.

The Courier doubled over, head in her hands, given up on the clipboard and whatever she had been looking at.

The knot pulled in his stomach, but he pushed it back down.

He needed to leave. Get out of there while she was occupied. Before she noticed the stranger that had been watching her. He couldn't miss another report.

His feet didn't move.

Shit.

He eyed the clock. He was cutting it close, but he could still make it. It wouldn't hurt to stay, just for a little while longer.

It was a gift right in his lap. His Courier so close without her little entourage. Without the mutt.

Vulpes put on his best New Vegas smile.

"Miss?"

She snapped up as if pulled by the scruff of her vest. Her sarsaparilla bottle clattered to the counter then the floor behind the bar, pouring everywhere.

"Oh, Jesus!" she scrambled over the bar, her body bent over the counter in a way that didn't help matters. So full and round.

"I'm so sorry!" she called over the counter, "I didn't know anyone was still here!" He shrugged off his jacket and in a moment, was behind the counter. The Courier still reaching for a cloth just out of grasp. "I feel awful I didn't mean to ignore-!"

He took it and stepped away with a grin. "It's okay miss." He smiled, holding it far too tight. "I'm the one that scared you. I'll get it."

The bottle hadn't smashed but had sent sarsparilla across most of the floor. Vulpes knelt down and mopped up what he could, still watching how the Courier staggered back, her face pulled into a frown.

"Wait, no! It's not your fault I got a fright! I was too busy wishing the jukebox was on to make it less lonely and...ugh I should have been more perceptive let me-"

She followed him around the counter and his chest thumped.

"I'm the one who knocked it like an idiot I should really-"

He stood and was a good foot taller than her. She met his eyes and trailed off, staring at him doe-eyed. She had to look up, and he didn't miss how her face went red the longer she stared. She analyzed him, and for a moment that familiar tension filled his chest until her teeth nipped at her bottom lip.

"Um…" she stuttered and looked down but then back up as if wanting to sneak another peek and whatever tension he had that she may recognize him melted away.

_How marvellous._

He smiled and stepped back to the sink and rung out the cloth.

"You okay there?" he teased with a chuckle. "No need crying over spilt Sarsaparilla."

She cleared her throat and gave him an awkward, nervous smile.

"No! No that's not-! Sorry. I-I just-" she stopped and cleared her throat again, and he almost wanted to ask her what she was thinking about. What it was going through her head that was distracting her.

He had a couple of ideas that kept the smile on his face.

"You." She settled on. "You seem really familiar. Have we...met before?"

The tension shot back up his spine, heavy on his shoulders and in his chest.

She stepped closer and peered into his eyes as if looking for something—her amber ones analyzing every inch of his face.

He moved in closer. Too close for a stranger.

Tendrils had fallen into her face, and she tried to look like they weren't bothering her and stay focused on him, but after one made her nose twitch, she tried to blow it away. His fingers brushed her skin, and she froze.

"If you had met me before," he crooned and pushed the piece of hair behind her ear, "you would definitely remember me."

He savoured the feeling of watching her cheeks go her particular shade of scarlet.

She didn't pull away. Instead, her expression shifted. Smirking. Challenging.

"Oh, really? You just the kinda guy a gal like me wouldn't forget?"

"Oh, definitely." He crooned, and slipped his hands down from her hair, holding her chin as if considering. "I'm also very sure that yours is a face I would forget any time soon."

She giggled. "Well, you are pretty friendly for a supposed stranger."

His hand slipped from her, and he held it out.

"Foxx."

She eyed him up and down as if looking for any sign of deception, but took it. Her hand was rough and calloused with scars and cuts, but the shake was firm.

"Jude."

He raised her hand to his mouth and pressed long a languid kiss against her red and grazed knuckles. His eyes not leaving hers. He smiled as he heard her breathing hitch.

"There," he winked at her and squeezed her hand, "now we aren't strangers, are we?"

"I guess not," she said, grinning wide.

"What have you done now Ju-Oh?" Francine stopped dead in the doorway and stared at them both, grinning as if she had just caught them in the middle of something terrible.

The Courier jumped away and looked anywhere but him, her face blushing as red as his Legion uniform.

"Should have known you'd be involved, Foxx."

"Hello again to you to...Ankie."

Francine's face switch from confusion then dropped all in a matter of seconds.

"Fucking, James."

The Courier buckled. "Ankie? You have to tell me this story," she said to him.

"Don't say another fucking word, Foxx. And get out from behind my bar—both of you. You two want to fuck each other you can do it on the other side of the bar or get a room like everyone else."

The Courier bowed her head and scampered back to her seat, hiding her face with her hands.

Francine just beamed at him as he followed his new friend, taking the seat beside her.

"Did you two idiots spill something?"

"I knocked over her drink by accident," he claimed. "I'll get her a new one. And the same for myself if you please."

Francine rolled her eyes. "Aw, what a gentleman. Ain't he just a gentleman Jude?"

She pulled out two more sarsaparillas from the colder fridge and left them on the counter without opening them as Vulpes placed the caps beside them.

"Thought you had left?" Francine asked him.

He chuckled and placed his hat on the counter. "Nice to see I make such an impression Francine."

"You always make one Foxx. Yet not tonight. What gives?"

"Perhaps my big impression for tonight was not making one at all." he winked. "What's it to you, anyways?"

She took the caps and shrugged. "Just making sure you're feeling alright and not sulkin' due to a broken heart or somethin'."

If he hadn't been in company, he would have laughed at the very thought. Instead, he just smiled over the lip of his drink.

"If it ever happens," he said, "the Garretts will be the first to know."

"Damn right. Now try to avoid making any more mess? " she asked, eying the both of them. "And behave yourself, Foxx."

"Don't I always?"

She laughed, but the sound was forced and overacted. "Funny. Have fun, children. And keep both eyes on him, Jude. Tricky one."

Within a minute, she was gone, and again he was left alone with the Courier.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-


	3. Chapter 3 - Me & the Devil

A/N: And here I worried this chapter would be short when I started it...

Spoiler warning for some later aspects of the game. Probably not needed but just putting it out there just in case :)

CW: Violence, gore etc. If sensitive to that kind of stuff then I would think it best you don't read this chapter but it's up to you. The warning is there just so people know and to help.

Also just want to thank everyone for supporting the story so far. Glad it's being enjoyed and hope you like the following instalment :)

* * *

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The lights buzzed above them, and Vulpes only had one thought.

Make an impression.

"You've got to tell me about the 'Ankie' story." The Courier beamed, leaning in close. "I need all the leverage I can get with that woman."

Vulpes snickered and took a sip of his drink.

"Get a couple of bottles of vodka into James then ask him. He tells it better anyway." He winked.

Her sunburnt face went even redder, making his chest ache.

She was all sunshine and Nuka-Cola smiles. As if pulled out from one of the Old World posters and dropped in front of him. Her hair almost appeared to glow in the low light of the Wrangler, framing her face in rounder curls than it had moments before. He caught her running her hands through it as Francine left, trying to fix the birds nest into something presentable.

"I think that sounds like a cop-out." She said.

"Can't help that the guy can tell a story. It's how I learned it."

She made a noise as if considering a difficult question and leaned back to eye him up and down. "Sounds like you have a record of pulling information out of people in bars."

"Well, I have been told I have a very comfortable shoulder to cry on." He teased. "You seemed like you may have needed it yourself. At least before I scared you."

She shrunk. "It..it was nothing."

"That talk with your...boyfriend is it? Didn't look like nothing."

The reaction couldn't have been better if he had paid her. She snapped round like she'd been slapped, mouth agape.

"Boyfrie-? You mean Boone?" She laughed. "No he-No. He's not my boyfriend."

He kept his smile relaxed, scratching at the label on the bottle. "He acts protective enough of you to be one."

She grinned, her eyes narrowing. "Is that why you haven't come over to say hi till now?"

Hook, line-

A wide smile spread across his face, not making a secret of the way he eyed her up and down, taking in every inch of her.

"Oh, he wouldn't have stopped me." His voice low as he watched her face turn back to a pretty shade of pink. She stared at him wide-eyed, lips apart, and unable to say a word for several moments before she found her voice.

"Th-then why-"

"You're conversations always sounded rather...serious. Never wanted to interrupt."

"Would have been a welcome break, to be honest."

"Is that why you kept looking around for me?" he asked, inching closer.

She smells of the Wasteland. Of earth and blood.

Would her skin taste the same?

"Cause I've certainly been looking at you."

Shock flashed across her face, and he felt his resolve weaken.

It was a look so intoxicating and seen so often in Vegas. Self-esteem didn't exist in the plenty on the Strip and even less so among the female population. Lone women at bars charmed by him and giving the same look when they got his attention. As if it was something rare and special.

Alone, it was a beautiful sight and in the Courier it glorious.

He continued as her eyes narrowed.

"Heard a lot of stories about you and your...exploits around the Mojave."

She flinched and deflated in relief. "Oft! Exploits? Don't think I want to know what you've heard."

"Harder not to hear about you on the radio. Certainly got a fan in Mr New Vegas. Though I got to ask, you really get shot in the head Goodsprings?"

A faint smile played on her lips, and she pushed back her hair. Benny's mark was two angry red scars on the left side of her forehead, near the hairline. The skin around them was still red, but healing.

He whistled. "Would you look at that. Do you mind if I..?" he trailed off, raising his hand to the marks.

Her face went red as she shook her head. "N-no. Go ahead. Don't hurt much anymore."

Despite that, she tensed and a shiver went through her as his thumb ran over the raised skin. They were smooth but uneven like skin pinched together.

"Mr New Vegas never did mention who did it." He said.

"I never knew either. Not till recently. Though I doubt he would want to besmirch the name of Benny Gecko by blasting it all over New Vegas radio like that."

"Really? That Benny?"

"You know him?" she asked, almost accusing.

Vulpes laughed. "I try to avoid dealing with the likes of Benny Gecko. But never thought he was snake enough to shoot random Courier's. Not that far away from Vegas at least."

She bit her lip and looked away.

"Unless…" he continued, "it wasn't random, was it? What did he want from you?"

She gave a childlike shrug. "No idea."

"You are a terrible liar." he teased.

"I'm not lying!"

"Then stop smiling as if you are."

"I'm just happy!"

"You're happy talking about being shot in the head?"

"Maybe I am?" She beamed and he laughed at her.

"Fine, don't tell me. I bet it's really boring anyway. Is it?" he asked.

She didn't bite, instead pressing her lips together, holding back soft snickering.

"Must be if you don't want to tell me." He added. "Has Mr New Vegas been exaggerating about you this whole time? He's been claiming some pretty wild stories."

The more he said, the more the spot of red around her nose spread over her cheeks.

"He's a pretty good storyteller then ain't he?" She replied innocently.

"Bet you tell them better, Ms Courier."

She made a face as if she's sucked on a bitter fruit, taking him out of the moment.

"Such a terrible nickname ain't it? The Courier? Don't exactly elicit fear. Not that 'Jude' is any better. Now," she reached back for her drink and took a swig before she continued, resting her head on the bottle, "hear me out, okay? 'Cause I know this sounds bad, but you're new, so I can tell ya'. And before I start, I know the Legion are bad okay?"

"The Legion?"

Now that was almost worth letting her change the subject.

She smiled sheepishly. "Please don't judge yet?"

"Depends what you say."

"I'm not swearing fealty to Caesar don't worry "

Would you swear it to me?

"But you have to admit they do have pretty dope naming conventions, right? Lanius? Dead Sea? Vulpes Inculta?-"

Fuck. She really does get under your skin, don't she, wolf face?

"All assholes but such cool names. Know what you're going up against at least. But with 'Courier' and 'Jude'? Surprised I haven't been laughed out of the Mojave."

The sound of his name from her lips made his chest burst and thump hard and wild, like a rabbit caught in a trap that was kicking about, trying to escape yet only making the noose tighter.

He chuckled, trying to ease the tightness building.

"Pretty sure there's a Fiend called Cook-Cook running around, and yet you think your given title is too silly?"

She laughed but tried to muffle the sound into the crook of her arm, hiding her face.

"That is a very good point, Foxx. Doesn't make 'Courier' any more intimidating though."

"Must take people by surprise then?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

If you only knew.

"Until after Nelson at least?" He asked.

A wide smile broke across her face as her thumb traced her bottom lip. Her eyes glazed over as if remembering something so lovely.

His breath caught and gaze lingered. He held back a groan as she bit down on her thumb.

Last he saw she was oh so contrite for her actions. This was so much more beautiful.

She's doing it on purpose. She wants you.

But she was still a profligate. A whore.

He had many better options than her.

Then stop getting hard at the thought of her writh-

"Sounded like it was-"

"A massacre? Oh, it was." It was as if she snapped out of whatever thought she was in. Her face went red, and she looked down. "I...well it got a bit out of hand. I...I shouldn't have let it go that far."

Vulpes held back a smile. Her knee tremored.

"That far?"

"They...ugh it's stupid."

"Try me."

"You'll think me crazy."

"I doubt it. Just try me."

She sighed and looked away. "I shouldn't be telling you this."

"You're the one that changed the subject to the Legion." he teased. "Plus sharing with a stranger can help."

She nudged him. "Though we weren't strangers anymore, Mr Foxx?"

His nails bit into the countertop.

Vulpes.

He wanted to make her say it. Have her look into his eyes as she said his name, knowing who she was talking to.

He shifted on the stool.

"Sharing with someone new then." He winked "I won't judge you like those friends of yours."

She bit her lip like a whore playing virgin and looked down at her drink then it all came spilling out like Hoover Dam itself had opened up.

"I didn't think about it at the time...just when it was over. And it was stupid of me to even start thinking that way cause who isn't young in the Wastes but I…"

A pain hung heavy on her face, clouding over her eyes and pulling her further into the memory.

"It was a shitshow from the start. I was angry and just let everyone go wild. There was no control. No order, no...mercy. Pretty sure I said before we left. 'No mercy' which was stupid." She bowed her head. "When it ended, I felt better at first. Dead Sea was dead-"

"He the one whose head you cut off?"

She stopped. "You're well informed."

"I have my sources."

"Y-yeah. Another stupid thing I did."

"I wouldn't call scaring Legion soldier's stupid."

She laughed. "And I wouldn't call that scaring them. Inconveniencing maybe. Not scaring. Especially not Inculta." She scoffed and took a drink. "He's a Legion soldier. Frumentarii they call them. Pompous pricks."

Something itched inside him at the sound of Frumentarii being pronounced correctly. Just the same way his name and all the other Latin had been. Almost as if someone had been teaching her. He heard his teeth creak under the pressure of his jaw.

"Doubt anything scares him. He had been watching that day. Or at least the guy wore the same uniform, and Inculta's the only one I know who wears it. I even shot at the guy to get his attention, and he only flinched cause his men made him!"

Inculta. Was that what she called him in her head? He hoped she thought of him often. His name snaking into her mind when least wanted. Taunting her.

"You almost sound jealous."

She shrugged. "Maybe if he wasn't such a degenerate I would ask him how he does it. Keeps cool like that. If there is anything, I clearly need to learn, it's how not to be so emotional."

I'll teach you more than just that.

"I don't agree. I think it's that emotion that drives you."

She snorted. "Drives me to stupidity. If my emotions were worth anything they wouldn't have made me first attack Nelson then feel bad for the Legion I just went and killed." She shook her head. "How messed up is that?"

"It is a little."

"Thanks."

"Just being honest."

"No, I...I appreciate it. And it is messed up."

"But...how…?"

"Beats me! One second I'm hugging NCR soldiers, young men and women who I've helped live another day. Then I turn and see the men we killed. Like really see them." She dropped her head into her hands, dragging them down her face. "So...young? Like teenagers? And I think 'How the hell did they know any better?'" She looked at him, her face set as if she really wanted an answer.

He didn't hold back a wide smile.

Oh, you silly Courier.

"Arcade? He's a member of the Follower's," she explained. "He told me that most of the soldiers in the Legion aren't born but assimilated from the tribes they've conquered. They would have been so so young when they lost everything. Everything they ever knew gone then told to believe and follow something completely different or what? Die?"

Something shot through his chest, clenching as he'd just done one hundred laps around the Fort. He clenched his jaw but didn't let the smile fade.

He would show her.

Show her just how wrong she was.

She ran her hands through her hair. "I don't know just...When it was all over and cold hard reality set in...Killing them...it was like killing a rabid dog, y'know? How the fuck do they even know better. Never even had a chance. A choice."

He could almost see the cogs turning in her brain as she tried to find the answer.

She twirled her bottle again. "You probably think I'm crazy."

"I don't."

"I can see it in your eyes." a smile clouding her face. "Don't blame you, though. And having sympathy for Legion is a little nutty."

Vulpes leaned back.

She looked so much smaller. Curled up in the chair, unsure of her own thoughts, her own mind.

It was magnificent. And just needed a little more push.

"Possibly," he said, "and a little beneath you really."

She laughed, sharp and short. "What?"

"Deathclaws don't concern themselves with the thoughts, feelings or opinions of their prey. So why are you?"

"You're calling me a Deathclaw?"

He just smiled. "No. Not yet."

"If this is your idea of flirting then-"

"I'm being serious."

Confusion darkened her face, yet the smile stuck. She slid towards him till they were touching, her arm pressing against his yet she didn't seem to notice.

Her voice was soft as if she was telling him a secret: "People hate Deathclaws. I hate Deathclaws."

Vulpes leaned into her heat and took time to really take in her face, his gaze hovering at her lips.

A ghost of surprise flashed over her face and lips parted, her eyes watching his.

"Cause other people hate them," he asked, " or because they bother you personally?"

A ghost of a frown. "They hurt people."

"So because other people hate them then?"

"As if that's a bad thing?"

"Hating a wild animal for being wild? I would call it unreasonable even."

"They scare people. Kill people. And-"

A laugh bubbled from his lips. "Massacre towns?"

She leaned back, scowling at him. "Not the same."

"Good point. You can hide from a Deathclaw. Seems like not many manage to hide from you."

"So I'm worse thana Deathclaw now?"

"Sounds like you can have your moments."

"I help people."

"I never said you didn't. Deathclaws are known for being protective of their herd, after all."

It was as if she was struggling to hear or absorb it, yet simultaneously she was absorbing every word. She sat like a dog, ready to strike out in fear rather than bravery.

"I protected people from violent slavers and rapists."

"Then why are you crying over them?"

"I ain't...crying just-"

"Showing empathy for men that would have gutted you or worse if they had the chance. No matter their age. Bet those NCR men would do the same if you got on their wrong side."

She opened her mouth to respond but closed it, her face almost bright red.

"Doesn't mean I can't feel bad for them having to. Either side."

"It's the Wasteland. You'd be feeling bad for a lot of people."

"Maybe I do!"

"Bringing me back to my question. Why do you care?"

"Should I stop caring?"

"Not what I said."

"I want to help the Mojave. Not leave it in an even bigger mess than when I woke up. I go with your Deathclaw logic there would be a lot more towns like Nelson out there, and the Mojave has enough people like that as it is."

"More Nelson's?"

It was like watching a metamorphosis. Darkness washing over her face as her mind went somewhere else. Pushed back by this glorious creature before him.

"Nelson happened caused my emotions got the best of me. I got attached to Forlorn Hope and the people in it. If I let myself do that again then I would end up not only killing every Raider, Fiend and Legionnaire I came across but burning their camps to the ground until there was nothing left but their ashes."

He was grinning from ear to ear.

Then like that the pretender snapped back into control before him and sunk away from him and down into itself, hiding behind her hands.

He chuckled and moved his stool closer. "I know I scared you, but I didn't realise I was that hard to look at."

"You probably think I'm a loon."

"Not a loon. Crazy perhaps."

She laughed. "You're good at this. This why people talk to you? To get everything off their chest?"

"Not the only reason I hope, or I'll have to start charging."

That got her laughing again. "I'm sorry about that, I shouldn't have even started."

"If I'm being honest, I could listen all night."

"You're just saying that."

"I told you I was taken with your story. Then I heard about how you'd been after Nelson and-"

"How I'd been?"

"You haven't heard? People have been worrying about you."

It was as if he'd told her some terrible news. "Worrying?"

"Well, locals at least. Noticed your...inactivity with a certain King?"

She hid again, dropping her gaze.

"It...it's complicated."

"What? You and the NCR not talking after Nelson then?"

"More like they talk to me and I…"

He bent over to catch her sight, a mocking smile on his lips.

"Are you ignoring the big bad Bear?"

She hid further into her shoulders. "They...bring out a bad side of me."

"Doubt you'd like them any better if you helped the King. They haven't been on their best behaviour recently, and he isn't afraid to say so."

She didn't answer right away. Choosing instead to stare at her drink.

"The NCR here are a bunch of assholes," She said into the bottle.

He laughed. "You allowed to say that?"

"When they're being assholes I am. I've seen them sauntering around like they own the place. Even heard about someplace handing out food to NCR citizen only. Can you believe that? While they watch the people here starve on the streets?"

"You sure you aren't getting involved?"

"I ain't I just...you hear things when looking for work."

She took a drink, but her face was frozen. A deep crevasse between her brows had formed, her eyes glazed over as if she had been transported far away.

"You really sure about that?"

She jumped. "Sorry, I…"

He slipped her hand into both of his and met her eyes. "You're too polite, Jude. You need to stop apologising for existing."

She squeezed his hand.

A smile stretched across his face, and she smiled back, her face going red almost as soon as she did. She looked away.

It was perfect. The Torcher of Nelson putty in his hands.

He squeezed her hand back and picked his next words carefully.

"I know you don't want to get involved but-"

The door to the Wrangler opened, letting in the fresh night air. Vulpes almost ignored the man at the door, looking around as if searching for someone but keeping himself small as if not to bring attention.

Vulpes tensed. His eyes narrowed.

David shuffled over to the bar, a broad smile on his face, but his eyes kept darting around. His farmhand uniform was a mess, covered in muck from the daily grind and his boots dragged in ever more dirt. His face wasn't much better, streaks of black across his cheek and forehead into his shaggy brown hair.

"Ah, there you are!" David called over. "Been looking for you."

He smiled at Vulpes and then at the Courier, and it faltered.

"David!" Vulpes exclaimed and clapped his shoulder a little harder than needed. He took a look at the clock. "Ah, it tonight I was meeting you wasn't it?"

"Y-yeah." he stammered, still staring at Jude.

"Sorry where are my manners. Jude, this is David. He's a farmhand in Westside."

David looked at Vulpes as if he had just handed the Courier a loaded gun and told her to shoot. Vulpes grinned at him, leaning back in his stool. "David, this is Jude. She's that Courier that's been helping around Freeside."

"Y-yeah. I...I recognise you. Thanks."

She bent over Vulpes get a better view of David, leaning on the counter.

Definitely doing it on purpose now.

"You from Westside? Been there myself and it was...rough."

She was close enough that she might as well be on his lap.

You wouldn't be leaving with David if she was, though, would you?

"Has its moments like everywhere else. Um, F-Foxx?"

"Ah, yes. Sorry." he looked up Jude, who was smiling coyly. He'd definitely been caught looking that time. "Afraid duty calls."

"So much for being able to talk all night." She said as he pulled on his jacket.

"I'll make that happen one night just you wait." He replied. He reached for his hat and slipped it on.

"I look forward to it." She said with a teasing smirk.

He smiled back, but his chest burned. He couldn't leave. Not when so close.

He looked to David who shuffled from side to side, wringing a cloth in his hands.

"Give me one minute." He said to her. Jude frowned but didn't say a word. Vulpes turned and his expression dropped. David looked away, but Vulpes pulled him in by his arm towards the door.

"Meet me in the alley around the corner in two minutes."

"Foxx this is ur-"

"It wasn't a request."

David baulked, nodded and scarpered out the door.

"You scare him off?" Jude called.

Vulpes smiled.

"Just have one more thing." He said. She was out of her chair and leaning against the counter, the smirk still playing on her lips.

"You couldn't have said it with him there?" she asked.

"I don't trust him not to start spreading rumours." He stopped in front of her, hands in his pockets and he realised how much he liked she was shorter. Her looking up at him through those lashes. Almost begging him to just take her.

"As I was saying before, I know you don't want to get involved between the Kings and NCR but-"

"But?" she stepped closer.

"I just think that the King would be mighty grateful to whoever deals with his NCR problem. And a little birdie may have told me that a certain King is in possession of a spare New Vegas passport."

"And a passport is?"

"Gets you into New Vegas for nothing. May be helpful for someone facing a ten thousand cap entrance fee."

She laughed. "At least someone was paying attention to me. What makes you think he would even hand it over?"

"The King is a man of his word and pays his debts. You do him a favour, he'll want to do one for you. And last I heard he was just itching to give that passport away…"

She bit her lip and looked away, eyes distant.

"Just give it a thought." He said.

"I will. Thank you."

Vulpes tipped his hat but paused, a thought flashing in his mind.

He reached for her hand and pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist.

"Till we meet again, Jude."

Again that poster girl smile. "Foxx."

Inculta.

The last thing he saw was her rubbing the inside of her wrist, the smile still wide on her face.

Vulpes found David pacing in the alley like a tom cat expecting a fight. He almost jumped a foot in the air when Vulpes appeared behind him from the shadows, grinning like a maniac.

"Jesus, Foxx! Where the hell have you been?"

"Offended you weren't my highest priority?"

He glowered at Vulpes who was riding too high to even care. Vulpes just grinned back.

"Maybe if I fucking was I wouldn't be in this fucking mess! But you're too busy making fucking googly eyes at the fucking Courier to eve-"

And like that the high was gone.

"Shhh. Shh." Vulpes soothed. "Breathe, kid." The boy rolled his eyes but did as he was told, almost looking on the verge of tears. Vulpes pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled out one for himself and offered one to the kid took it gladly. A click of the lighter later and the boy took in a shaking breath, the hand holding the cigarette shaking. The kid's eyes still darting around, looking for someone in the shadows.

Vulpes lit his own, watching him.

The warm smoke filled his lungs and along with the disgust. As if that feeling alone would stop the nicotine from getting into his brain.

"Thought Legion didn't smoke?" the kid asked, voice trembling.

Vulpes smiled. "I won't tell if you won't."

The kid chuckled and took another drag. "Shit. Shit!"

"Now," Vulpes said as he slipped his lighter into his pocket, "how 'bout you tell me what's got you so spooked?"

The kid groaned, "Fucking Anderson."

Another drag.

"He...Fucking idiot. I fucking told him to let me handle it!"

"David."

"This couldn't wait for you to show up at the Vault! I've told you before that I can't disappear from Westside without folk asking questions and the last week I've had some Corporal up my ass doing exactly that! How do I explain a New Vegas passport Foxx? I'm fucking NCR born!"

"What Corporal?"

"I don't remember his name. Winter? Walter? White? Double-you something. Too busy shitting myself that he caught me in Vegas!"

"He what?"

"Oh, now you're interested? And here I thought I'd have to grow a pair of tits and stick on a Vault suit to get your attention."

A cold, thin smile spread across Vulpes face, but the kid had no expression of remorse for what he said. Just took another puff then another like it was the only thing keeping him alive as he paced in the small alley. Like a molerat in a trap. Funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

"What did you do David?" He asked, his tone almost warning him that he better not have done something stupid.

"Well, I couldn't let him find the passport! It would bring up more questions! Some NCR farmhand in Westside with a New Vegas passport?"

"Because it would have made more sense that you're there with two-thousand caps just to throw away?"

"Are you not listen-"

"For someone who claims to hate NCR, you certainly capitulated quickly. That a side effect of growing up as one? Not exactly becoming of someone wanting to be a Legion soldier now is it?"

"I didn't caputu-capit-cap...whatever that word is!"

"You ceased resistance, didn't you? He bothered you a little bit, so you gave him something. The entire point of the passport was so you could pass freely. The NCR can't question you with it. Could have gotten it from anywhere. You could have just walked on by but instead, you panicked and capitulated to his demands for answers."

He flinched and leaned away as if Vulpes at gotten closer.

"Shit. I-I just promised him information! It wasn't going to be real! Just something to keep him off our backs! I had it all under control!" he added quickly, the cigarette back in his mouth. "But then stupid idiot Anderson shows up when we got back to Westside! Came looking for me like I fucking knew he would, the paranoid shit. Doesn't listen to me. Flips out when he sees the Corporal! Thinks I've sold him out. Try and talk him down but next thing I know I have a fucking Corporal with a hole in his head at my feet! Fuck!"

He dropped the cigarette in panic, only a small nub left burning on the ground. Vulpes watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue, but he just paced and pulled at his hair. He had seen the children in the Fort act better than the idiot before him.

"Aren't you going to say something?" he demanded of Vulpes. "Did you not fucking hear me? I-"

"Why are you bothering me with this?" Vulpes asked, blowing the smoke out of his nose.

David almost laughed.

"Sorry did I interrupt your fucking date night? Can you not fucking hear me?"

Vulpes smiled, his jaw twitching. "I can hear you. I just don't know why I should care? Some NCR Corporal is dead. You and Anderson both are free from scrutiny-"

"For now! They'll come looking for that Corporal eventually!"

"The NCR are stretched thin enough as it is. They'll just think he ran off."

"And if they get the Courier involved?"

She was right. Hearing it used as if she was some kind of boogeyman made it sound as ridiculous as it was. People running scared of a courier. It was like something out of those profligate comics. If he hadn't seen it for himself, he would have genuinely laughed. Instead, a half-hearted snicker escaped his lips.

"Didn't realise you were afraid of some woman David."

"Cause the woman that torched Nelson will just let a missing NCR officer go won't she!"

"She won't get involved."

"You can't promise that."

"Of course, I can't. The same way I can't promise it won't rain tomorrow yet I can still be sure it won't. You, however, seem pretty set on making excuses."

"Not excuses."

Vulpes sighed. "What do you want David?"

"I have done everything you asked. Literally. Don't you think its time you ask that Inculta guy if I can go up to the Fort? I know I'd do more good as a soldier than I can babysitting some failed Follower of the Apocalypse scientist."

Vulpes almost felt something akin to pity for him. Being stupid enough to believe it had ever been a real offer and sticking with it for so long.

"Until Anderson has perfected his method-."

"Bullshit! Talk to Anderson now! He just fucking killed some NCR for you I bet he'd jump-"

Vulpes stubbed out the cigarette on the wall. "Keep him safe, David."

David crossed his arms and stood still. "No!"

"Excuse me?"

"I said, no! Reassign me. Punish me if you have to, but I would rather do fucking anything than go back to that hellhole again. I can't spend one more minute around those people and pretending to like them every day! Please!"

"Go home, David."

"But I said, please!"

Vulpes waved goodbye behind him, snickering and lighting another cigarette.

"Fuck!" He heard and the clattering of trashcans. "Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!"

He rolled his eyes, but David ran up, scrambling and clawing at his jacket like a wild dog.

"Just...just hear me out, okay?"

"I've heard you, David. Go home."

He put his hand on Vulpes chest, stopping him dead. For a moment, a stunned numbness shot through him. As if he had watched David just do that to someone else.

Before he could even get out a word, the kid interrupted him. He tried to hide a smug smile, but it peeked through the sad attempt.

"Does Inculta know about you and the Courier?" He asked, voice a miserable attempt at concern.

A thin smile spread across his face. Vulpes had been a Frumentarri for too many years to let his intentions show. Intentions that raged under his skin with a heat hotter than the midday sun.

"What are you doing?"

"Think I haven't noticed you hovering around more often? Following her? How you were eyeing her when I walked in? Fuck, when I was standing there? Don't think Inculta would be happy to hear you're spending time on the job trying to fuck the Courier. Last I heard he wasn't fond of disloyalty like that. Is that why you won't move me? Afraid of what I'll say about you when I get up there?"

Vulpes laughed, but it was cold.

"What's so funny? I'm serious!"

"You're right." He smiled and clapped him on the shoulders. "I'm due to meet Inculta tonight actually. How about we meet him together and discuss this?"

David smiled wide, his chest puffed out. "Now that's more like it."

Vulpes push him down the alley, grinning wide. He led him further down until the bright lights of the alley got darker, till all that lit their path was the faint glow from a lamp from the street that was more of a spot in the distance.

"Wait is this even a way-"

"David-" he interrupted, "do you know how soldiers would be punished in ancient Rome when they tried to flee their post?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know- Hey what are you doing?"

Vulpes slipped off his jacket and removed his hat, laying them on the dumpster beside him.

"They called it Fustuarium but...you don't know what that means, do you?"

The kid rolled his eyes.

"Is this some kind of Legion lesson thing? Of course, I don't…"

He trailed off as Vulpes unbuttoned his cuffs and pushed them up to his elbows. Watching the thought cross his mind was like watching a heavy fog roll down the hills of a mountain. Even once something clicked all he did was turn to look at the large wall behind him then two dumpsters that made the small alley even smaller, and so the only thing standing in his way for making a bolt was Vulpes.

He stepped back.

"Foxx look I- I was kidding about the whole Courier thing? Really! I wouldn't-"

Vulpes clapped his shoulders and smiled like an old friend, glad to see him.

"Good."

He gripped the back of the boy's hair and slammed his head into the brick wall. The crack of bone and squelch of tissue. Screams muffled by gurgles of blood. Vulpes pulled back, and a squeal escaped the kid's bloodied face before he cracked it back into the brick. Again. Then again. Warm dark red spots splashing over him. Over and over, his arm burning with the strain. The kid tried to reach out, but his arms fell limp at his sides. Vulpes let him drop. He gurgled and rolled, weak but alive. His nose bent into his a concave face, all chewed up by the rough brick as if dogs had been at him.

Vulpes brought his foot down on his head, his face contorted in pure hatred.

Again and again. The skull caved with a satisfying crunch, but he didn't stop.

It was scratch that couldn't be itched.

He gripped the side of the dumpster for leverage, trying to get even more force behind each blow.

A beast never satiated.

There were no cracks any more. Just squelching and chucks coming up with his shoe.

But Gods did this help.

Vulpes staggered back, breathing heavy.

Blood oozed and pooled around the kid, dark and thick. He doubled over, leaning on his knees.

Blissful numbness enveloped him. Like the moment just before waking or when realising, it's only a dream. His chest thumped and felt ten times its size, feeling full and warm, which made up for his arms and leg ached.

His slacks were ruined with blood splattered up the tanned fabric turning it dark brown. His shirt was speckled, with the odd bigger splashes across the white shirt that would never come out. A sigh escaped his lips as he dragged his hand down his face, smearing the spots and making them look like some tribal warpaint.

The kid didn't move. Just lay there.

He pushed the lump with his foot, and it slumped back. With his head smashed in, was there wasn't a chance he was alive, but Vulpes wasn't one to take chances.

Vulpes snickered, shook his head and reached into his pocket, pulling out another cigarette before lighting it.

The sick stench of iron mixed with his smoke filled the small alley.

The misshapen lump just lay there all blood and sinew and brain matter. It was all over the wall, coating the brick and pooling around the dumpster beside him.

What a mess.

Vulpes rubbed the bridge of his nose, the cigarette hanging between his index and ring finger. And now he had a fucking headache.

He couldn't just leave the kid there. Even the NCR would get off there asses to look into a body like that, and he doubted the mound of flesh would wait for the Mojave sun to start rotting away, making the town smell even more like a sewer.

Not that the asshole hadn't deserved it.

He took another drag and one by one his muscles relaxed.

What a waste it was. Anderson had been promising if only as little pet project of his own. When Vulpes learned that he had managed to get food growing in Westside and no one in the NCR seemed to care, he had jumped on it. But while the ex-Follower hated the NCR, that didn't make him a Legion sympathiser.

With David, he had tried to change that, but there was only so much that could be done with a man as stubborn as a bighorner and twice as ornery. And David had been as much of a hindrance as he was helpful.

But now Anderson had killed a Corporal, and as much as he hated to admit it, he already had the image of Jude wandering around Westside asking about a poor missing Corporal. See her face when she realised he was shot in cold blood.

Vulpes paused, then looked at the body. Flies buzzed around it in the faint light. The ever-present music blaring from Vegas over the wall was soft like a radio being played from another room.

A grin pulled across his face as an idea bloomed to life.

He knew exactly what he could do.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-


	4. Chapter 4 - One Microscopic Cog

A/N: Thanks to everyone supporting the story so far. Really means a lot. Also just want to add some small trigger warnings here for those who may need them.

tw: Mild violence and one mention of the word 'r*pe'.

Happy to hear your thoughts so far and any advice you have for my writing going forward.

Thanks again guys and hope you enjoy the latest instalment :)

-/-/-/-/-/-

"I'm only playing devil's advocate."

Vulpes raised the glass of bourbon to his lips, hiding a smirk as the sniper looked ready to explode, his face almost the same colour as his beret. If he had been any closer the soldier would have already tried to strangle him several comments earlier but with too many eyes watching, he was left perched on the edge of his seat, glaring daggers at Vulpes as if he had said something terrible.

"There's a difference between devil's advocate and trying to justify the actions of genocidal maniacs."

Several in the crowd behind Boone made sounds of agreement, looking among each other for those who were staying silent. It had all started as a simple conversation with Jude's little group of misfits but discounted booze and the cheer due to a local holiday got people chatty. It lowered boundaries till everyone in earshot was listening in and picking sides, if drunk enough to voice them in public at least. Not that it had taken Vulpes much to push it down the track he wanted. He never thought he'd be thankful for the alcoholic caravan owner but Cass seemed as determined to wind up the mongrel as he was, if not more so.

He took a sip of his drink and gave a lethargic shrug. The armchair was far too comfortable for something in Freeside and his bourbon had done its job of relaxing all the aching muscles in his shoulders after his job with the Courier that morning. She had taken to asking him out on jobs more and more often and he wasn't one to refuse. Especially when they were going alone.

"Never justified it." He said. "But I've seen how well run the Legion controlled States are. Safer travel, better roads, better shops. Heck, some places are like back before the war!"

Veronica snorted. "If you're a man maybe."

"Or just not NCR." He replied. "I ain't and I was fine. And I know women that have gone and done the same. Met some that lived there too, some owning stores even."

"You're fucking lying." Boone's voice was dark and heavy, but almost panicked as if trying to hold back a fit of building anger.

"I wouldn't be so quick to say so." A local piped in from behind Vulpes. "Sure I saw the same kinda thing. Back in my travelling days."

"Don't talk crap, Harry." A younger man said from beside him. "You ain't been outta Freeside in years!"

"The Legion didn't just pop into existence overnight kid!" Harry snapped back. "And I didn't stop that long ago! Only been ten years and Caesar's been around what? Fourty?"

"Closer to thirty," Arcade said.

"Shit really?" Another young man said, looking concerned. "That's older than me. Didn't think they'd been around that long."

"It was Jack and I that found it at the time. Didn't we Jack?" He called over to another older man sitting near the jukebox that was crooning away but the man didn't respond. He looked closer to the dead than the living slumped over in his seat. Harry rolled his eyes and continued. "We were travelling through Arizona. Must have been ten years into the whole Caesar shit so wasn't common knowledge he had taken over the place. Didn't even realise it wasn't an independent town till I saw the flag but I'm sure as hell it was a lady running the tavern. Hell, now I think, I'm sure she ran the town? Hey Jack!" he shouted to the man at the jukebox again, "You remember that Legion town we went through? Didn't it have a crazy lady mayor?"

The man at the juke groaned, as interrupted from sleep.

"That one that ran like half the stores in town?" He sounded a lot more sober than he looked but his voice was gravelly and low as if beyond exhaustion.

"Bullshit! Why would they allow that yet the army fucking hates them?" Another woman said. "Everyone knows they hate women!"

"NCR women," Cass replied. "They hate _NCR_ women. And tribals. Don't forget the tribals." She took a swig of her whiskey bottle she was only a quarter through.

"What?" the woman snapped.

"What do you mean 'what'? You deaf?" Cass mocked. "They don't enslave everyone they come across dummy then Caesar wouldn't have any citizens to rule over, would he? They only enslave NCR folk and tribals. Anyone with an army. Gengis Khan type shit."

"Gengis who?" A local woman asked.

"A dictator from history before the War. Like the one, our Caesar stole his idea for the Legion from. Wouldn't be surprised if he had looked outside of Roman history for more inspiration." Arcade said.

"How do you know this?" The sniper asked Cass, ignoring Arcade.

"I'm a caravanner. And I keep my ear to the ground like any good one does. Learnt right quick to hide that your NCR when dealing with Legion."

"Why would you even _want_ to deal with them?" Veronica asked.

"Unavoidable when going Arizona way and I wasn't about to be sold into slavery just because I was NCR. Or miss out on all those caps just cause of a little Legion problem. If you can get past the currency difference and the soldiers you interact with being sexist shits it was way fucking safer than any NCR state. Plus interactions with soldiers were few and far between. Mostly dealing with citizens and they were more like you're garden variety New Cannan really."

"Really?" Arcade leaned forward. "I know one of the founders of the Legion was a Morman but didn't think they would have held onto those values? Especially after what Caesar did to him."

Vulpes listened intently. Stories others brought back from Arizona where always his favourite and hearing the shock in people's voices when they heard it wasn't a hellscape on earth was the part he always waited for but Cass' story was almost too good. He scanned her face for any twitch of a lie but all he could find was regret and confusion. He definitely didn't recognise her face and any trader from California would have been questioned about NCR ties but perhaps she had been smarter than that. Smart enough to sneak through the cracks. If that was the case she couldn't be the only one and he bet there were NCR with more than just trade in mind finding their way into Legion territory.

"No, I don't mean like they're all Jesus freaks and shit. Just that they're like...super friendly? _Weird_ friendly. Helping neighbours and strangers out crap. Was fucking weird man." Cass took another drink, longer this time.

He would have to look into how she got through the cracks. What else did she know that she could be hiding?

"Sounds like bullshit." A local behind Boone said. "So the army here are savage assholes but its all sunshine and rainbows in Arizona? Fuck off with that shit."

"You fuck off!" She snapped back. "You've never even stepped foot out of fucking Freeside yet you call me a fucking liar? Please? Are you really stupid enough to think the Legion is _just _its army? It would be like us trying to say that the NCR is _just_ its soldiers and all its citizens live and act the same way NCR soldiers do. It's fucking bullshit."

"If you support the Legion so much then Cass, why don't you join them?" Boone snapped. "Bet they'd love to have you."

"That you fantasising about me getting raped by Legion men again Boone?" Cass snickered. "Sorry, but just cause I think the Legion did a decent enough job with Arizona and the NCR a piss poor one with Vegas doesn't mean I want to jump ship. Same reason I wouldn't want to jump to vodka after one bad drink of whiskey. NCR may have fucked the Mojave up but I'm still NCR in the end. Lucky fuckers."

"Here here!" A man called out and several others repeated the cheer getting a chuckle from Cass.

Vulpes laughed and looked back to Boone and shrugged. "Told you I wasn't lying."

He was still but too still. His jaw set and face no longer red but devoid of colour.

It was hilarious. It took everything in Vulpes to force the smile to the corner of his mouth and keep his posture relaxed.

"Don't believe it." The sniper said, stiff and almost robotic. "Even if it was true, just cause it looks like that on the surface doesn't mean it isn't corrupt and rotten underneath."

Vulpes laughed, looking around behind him, incredulous. "What reason would I have to lie?"

"Cause you're fucking Legion." He snapped.

A wide toothy grin broke across Vulpes face. He leaned forward, trying his best to turn it into his most patronising look he could muster.

"I think I finally get you now Boone. Just because I won't suckle at the teet of the great two-headed bear I must be Legion? Have I finally got it right?"

Cass almost choked on her whisky, trying to hold in laughter. "Shit Foxx! Warn me before you say shit like that!"

"You can't just call people you don't agree with Legion, Boone." Arcade agreed, clearing his throat.

Boone sat there, teeth bared and his nails dug into his knees. Vulpes had never seen the man so riled up before and it was glorious. If only the Courier wasn't in a fucking meeting and could witness her precious dog going savage.

"He's agreeing with the Legion though!" One of the folks behind Boone said.

"Doesn't make him Legion! We know Foxx!"

"I ain't agreeing with them," Vulpes argued. "Same way I don't agree with the NCR either."

"You can't just stay impartial." One of the locals said.

"Why not?" He smiled. "The Khans do? The Boomers? The Followers? The Brotherhood."

Arcade and Veronica looked away.

"That isn't even mentioning the worst offender, Mr House. Sitting in Vegas and ignoring the fight on his front step. Yet everyone outside Vegas has to pick a side to determine the future of _his_ city? Doesn't sound fair to me when the larger groups in the Mojave won't even pick. If they can't even figure it out what hope in hell do I?"

"Exactly!" The concerned young man from before agreed. "Everyone expects you to know when much smarter people can't choose."

"Or they pick for selfish reasons." Another voice said. "Doubt the families sided with House cause he had the best interests of Vegas in mind. Barely seen hide nor hair of him since he appeared again!"

"I usually go for the group that doesn't crucify people to death." Another person snapped.

"Or enslave people." said another.

"I guess I must have just imagined Bitter Springs then?" Vulpes snickered.

The group went silent as if he had just announced his fealty to Caesar.

"That-that was a mistake," Boone spoke low, measured but every muscle in him was like a coiled spring. Vulpes watched him and pulled his cigarettes from his pocket.

"Ah yes, the mistake that they've never admitted to or have even apologised for. Not to mention that they feel entitled enough to continue _squatting_ on the very grounds where they massacred hundreds of innocent Khan women and children. Sounds like the NCR don't really have a strong moral leg to stand on." He slipped the cigarette into his mouth but his lighter wasn't in its usual pocket.

"Anyone got a lighter?" he asked.

"Boone what-!"

Next thing he knew he was lifted out of the chair, almost tearing his collar, and thrown back into the bar. Patrons scrambled out of the way. With a thud, he slammed into the side. It hit bone and his leg buckled. He clung to the bar, bracing himself as a bubble of laughter found its way to the surface, escaping the side of his lips; the cigarette still hanging from his mouth.

Boone grabbed him by his shirt again, his face almost pained with anger. He drew back his arm and drove his fist into the side of Vulpes mouth.

His head snapped to the side and for a moment he was disorientated before his face exploded into a numb dullness as if it had been removed. The blood was bitter on his lips and bells rang in his ears like an air siren.

"Boone! For fuck sake!" He heard Arcade shout.

With a grunt, he braced himself as Boone's fist struck his jaw.

Vulpes seized the hand at his collar and shoved himself to the side, just missing the next blow. It thumped weakly against the side of his head but the following one cracked hard.

"Stop!" Veronica this time.

Vulpes drove his palm into Boone's nose. His head flew back and the grip on his collar loosened. Boone tried to hit him again but Vulpes thrust his palm into his nose over untill he heard a crunch and the sniper's eyes rolled back.

Vulpes shoved forward and let go of the sniper's arm that still clung weakly to his shirt. The soldier stumbled backwards, his hand flying up to cover his nose. His foot slipped and caught the back of a side table and he tumbled back, landing with a loud crash and thud on the wooden floor.

All he could taste and smell was blood. His heart raced and lungs felt as if they could only hold a cupful of air at a time. His mouth overflowed, blood pooling till he spat it out onto the Wrangler floor. Touching his lip and nose, blood came away. He couldn't feel them yet, just a dullness but either injury would do. Both even better. It would make the next bit so much easier.

"Aw come on that's it?" Cass complained.

"Will you shut up Cass?" Arcade snapped. "Veronica, get-"

"_Hey_!"

Vulpes smiled, not caring about the ache in his face. Jude scrambled out from behind the bar, the Garrett's not far behind her.

"What have you idiots done to my bar?" James shouted.

Jude gasped at the sight of Vulpes making him laugh. "That bad?" He asked and pressed the cuff of his shirt to his face.

"Jesus! Looks like you've been face fucked with a Ripper!" James shouted.

"It isn't that bad!" She shouted back. "What the hell happened?" She tilted his head. "Keep your head back. Francine! James? Do you have a-"

A cloth was thrown at her from the bar.

"You're welcome!"

"Thanks"

Vulpes tried to look at him but she forced him to keep his head up. "I'm fine. Is-"

"_Boone_?" Jude exclaimed as if she was seeing something unbelievable. Veronica supported him as he got to his feet, still glaring daggers at Vulpes. Blood dripped down to the floor and splattered his t-shirt. A deep bruise already forming around his crooked nose.

"What the hell happened?" Jude demanded.

No one said a word. All looking away.

_Degenerates_.

Vulpes spat out more blood and switched to the other cuff of his shirt.

"It was my fault." He said. The room looked at him.

"What?" Cass snapped.

"It ain't your fault kid." Someone else said. "He came at him over nothing." The old man said to Jude as if she was some kind of Sheriff demanding witnesses to come forward.

Another added. "Exactly! Came at him over Foxx sayin' the truth about the NCR, fucking hypocrites."

"He started by supporting the Legion!"

Jude looked at Foxx and her eyes narrowed. She knew the kinds of things he said about the NCR so didn't need to imagine what had come out of his mouth.

"I brought up Bitter Springs." He explained to her. "It was stupid and I forgot who I was talking to."

"Even if you were being an idiot that doesn't mean he can hit you!" Jude turned to Boone. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

Boone laughed, the sound dark and a little off balance. "I won't apologise for hitting a Legion soldier."

Jude looked about ready to explode. "Fuck sake Boone! Not everyone you disagree with is Legion! You can't just hit people like that and he's my friend for fuck sake!"

"Find better ones." Boone replied.

"Fuck you Boone." Cass snapped.

"Boone I'm being fucking serious! You could have broken his nose!"

"He's broken mine!"  
"Maybe you deserve it for starting the fight, you big idiot!"

Vulpes stepped in front of the two, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, everyone is fine. It's just flesh wounds." He argued. "And what's a stupid bar fight among friends?"

The crowd cried out. Vulpes turned to see Veronica holding Boone back and several locals in front of him. Many trembling at the sight of the ex-NCR soldier before them, but still standing as if ready to take a hit if needed. An elation beyond words filled him. Watching the degenerates of Freeside actually standing for something, even as stupid as a bar fight. His chest thumped hard and he wanted to gloat, to let the sniper know exactly what was happening but it was almost better this way. Leaving him wandering in the dark, lost.

Boone glared at him, his shades lying smashed on the ground where he had landed. Vulpes almost wanted to smile at him. Give him just a hint that he was right, but instead sighed as if too tired.

"I won't-I won't hit him." Boone said through clenched teeth.

Veronica let him go and he stood up straight, flinching.

"Good." Veronica said with an uncomfortable smile. "Now shake hands and be done with this."

"Veronica," Arcade warned.

"No." Jude said. "I agree. _Boone_."

Vulpes held his hand out, trying his best to look contrite when he wanted to laugh in the man's face. Boone looked at Jude and his face relaxed as if mellowed just from the sight of her.

He took Vulpes hand.

The buzz faded and rage sparked and burned through him. That look, how willing he was to do as she asked.

_Won't she just be so thankful to him for listening? Proud he controlled himself? Maybe she'll even reward him? A little late night-_

He gripped Boone's hand a little tighter and covered it with the other.

"I really am sorry buddy."

Boone pulled him in and wrapped his hands, tightly around his throat. Locals dove on him, trying to pull him off but his grip was tight and eyes focused. They would have had better luck trying to move a brick house.

Vulpes grasped at his hands, lights sparkling in his vision.

"Boone!" Jude screamed.

"I'm not your _fucking_ buddy, asshole." He said, voice low so no one else could hear then shoved him back. He stumbled back into Jude who caught him.

"You okay?" she asked looking genuinely concerned. He just laughed through his struggling gasping coughs, unable to ignore the rush of adrenaline any longer.

"I've been in worse fights."

"You ain't ex-military are ya?" Harry asked him. "Asking cause it's always military boys that cause damage that fast."

"Half right." He grinned. "If you can guess which I'll buy you a drink."

The old man beamed.

"Well, I know it ain't NCR that's for damn sure!"

The door to the Wrangler slammed shut.

"Boone!" Jude called.

He clenched his teeth together.

_Still on that stupid mongrel?_

"Ignore him!" Cass called back. "He's being a fucking drama queen as fucking always. Let him huff."

Jude narrowed her eyes and ran towards the door.

"Wait," He yelled.

"Let her talk to him Foxx!" Arcade called.

"He just did this and you think I'm going to leave him alone with her?"

"Boone won't hurt Jude." Veronica said. "Would he?"

"Are you sure about that?" He asked and followed her outside.

_She ran after the dog. Don't that just sting?_

Boone was pacing in the street and the moment he saw Vulpes he stopped.

"Go back inside," he warned.

"Boone seriously can you calm down?" Jude said.

"I just want to apolo-"

"I don't want your Legion apology."

Vulpes laughed. "Look pal I ain't-"

Boone lunged forward but Jude jumped in front of him.

"_Craig_ Boone!"

He stopped dead in his tracks but glared over Jude to Vulpes.

"Fuck Boone. What's gotten into you? It was just a conversation, you could have walked away. Why turn it violent?"  
Boone almost replied but instead, he shut it. Instead just clenching his jaw.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Boone talk to me!"

But he walked off without another word leaving Foxx and Jude alone outside.

Jude didn't look like she knew what to say. Opening and closing her mouth like a guppy fish.

"Not gonna run after him this time?" The words were out of his lips before he had even thought them. He bit down inside his mouth where it hurt the most, forcing himself back to reality.

"No." She groaned, running her hands down her face. "You're right that was shitty wasn't it?"

"Never said that."

"I almost ran off to help the guy that attacked you. Don't need to say it." She looked almost pained. "Cass was right. I should have just let him run off. He's being an asshole. Just...isn't like him."

"You can't help everyone Jude. He'll calm down eventually."

"What even happened? I feel like I've walked in with my pants down."

Vulpes gave a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, spitting out more blood. "We got talking about NCR and the Kings feud. Opinions about it. Everyone agrees your the best option by the way."

Jude rolled her eyes.

"Glad I was with the Garrett's for that bit then."

"Can't ignore him forever." He replied, wiping his face, jaw tight.

"Done a good job so far." She teased but in a moment it collapsed into concern. She took the cloth from off her belt.

"Hold still." She said and held it to the side of his lip. "You can't keep using your cuff."

They were both soaked with blood, drips splattered down the chest. As if he'd just hacked someone to death.

"So how'd it escalate?" she asked. "And tell me if I hurt you." She held his head in place as she applied pressure to the large gash in his lip. Her thumb rubbed back and forth on the side of his face, the heat from her hand and gentle touch welcome on the tender skin.

_Her hands are getting softer._

"Well?"

"Ah," he cleared his throat."Well, that led into if the NCR is really good for Vegas and myself and a few others played devil's advocate-"

"Devil's advocate?"

"You've heard what I've said about the Legion and NCR," he replied. "I said no worse tonight."

"In front of Boone?"

He held back a wince, one press of the cloth a little too hard.

"Technically, Cass mentioned it first."

"I bet she did." Jude grumbled.

"I realise that probably wasn't the best idea now."

Jude sighed. "I get it...It was just for fun but... just...it could literally have been anything else. Just not Legion. Not in front of Boone."

Vulpes paused.

"What happened to him? Boone?" He asked. "To make him hate the Legion so much?"

She bit her lip. "Afraid it ain't my story to tell."

_Of course not._

"But...just know he lost someone very, very dear to him because of the Legion," she said. "Anything else, I'm afraid it's up to him to tell you. I know you may think you'll never find out but he's a big softy when you get to know him. I swear."

He dug his nail into his palm.

_Go on Vulpes. Think about it. Think about how she would know that. _

"They've got a very loyal friend in you." He said, his facade dropping for a moment.

She smiled and shrugged. "Nothing they wouldn't do for me."

_Oh, they won't. You'll see._

"If you believe that, then I have no reason to either." A ghost of a frown passed over her face, followed with a sad smile.

"Your hands are soft," he said. "They weren't like that before."

Her fingers stopped playing at the edge of his hairline, just behind his ear as if she was caught doing something she shouldn't be.

"Oh um," she pulled away but he caught her hand in his.

"No. No, I didn't mean stop." He said, rubbing his thumb across her open palm.

"It, I. Um." she swallowed hard, her face going pink. "There's this old lady in the Wastes who keeps bees. Like, real honeybees? Not giant irradiated ones or anything. Loads of them too. She makes things like moisturisers and stuff from the beeswax and the honey. Honey is good too. Like _really_ good. She gave me a couple of jars of her moisturiser and the honey when I helped her out last time. Hands were starting to hurt they were so dry. Breaks of living in a desert I thought but not anymore!" She laughed but it was awkward and she didn't keep eye contact with him as if scared he'd see something in her face she didn't want him to.

"You know, you could have had the caps to get into Vegas if you didn't keep doing freebies like that."

She sighed and didn't put the cloth back on his face. "I've been told. A _lot_. But I'm not about to let someone die or end up in trouble just cause they don't have caps. People are struggling enough with the NCR and the Legion as it is. Plus we'll get them eventually." She checked his face, tilting it into the light of the streetlamp. "Not like Benny can go anywhere."

"You know, you could get their faster if you just-"

She chuckled. "I know. Why are you so adamant?"

He pursed his lips, racking his mind for an answer she would like.

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid but...It just feels like something is brewing. And if it isn't dealt with soon it could boil over and people could get hurt."

She paused, looking at him as if on the verge of finding it suspicious. At least for him.

"So he does have feelings." she teased.

"I can have my moments."

"How about this? If I ever think it's getting that heavy, I'll step in okay? Cause right now so long as the NCR don't go throwing their muscle around and the King avoids the same, they're at an impasse." She smiled at him and reached up to stroke his face. Vulpes just stared at her unable to think of anything to say. Thoughts scrambling, wondering if she had known this entire time what he'd been attempting.

"I know I haven't met him, but I prefer men with power like the King kept busy, and if the NCR can do that for me then I'm kept happy."

_You clever girl._

She had never been trying to avoid the NCR, she was just keeping the King out of her way. And he had never even seen it. Too clouded by the NCR lie and his own plans. Too convinced of her simplicity. She couldn't have known what he had been trying to do. Couldn't have even been trying to outmanoeuvre him and yet she had done all the same just by playing an entirely different game.

He was clouded. A confused and mangled mix between wanting to strangle her and wanting to fuck her against the wall of the Wrangler. Either way, she would be begging him. Instead of standing there so serenely.

"If you had just said that to begin with I wouldn't have been so insistent." He said finally.

"I know I can be an open book at times. A lot of the time." She corrected. "But there are somethings I can keep to my chest when it suits me."

"What kind of things?"

"That is for me to know." She winked. "You should go see Julie at the Fort. I would say Arcade but I doubt he has what you'll need on-"

"It's fine cricket. I'll go to Julie."

She snorted. "Is that really the one that's sticking?"

"I intend to remind you of that terrifying cricket every time I see you, so yes."  
She shook her head but a smile played on her lips. "If I say I love the nickname will you stop using it?"

"Then I'd just use it more, cricket." He pressed a kiss to her knuckled, ignoring the pain. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"How about I come to see how you're doing first? Then we decide if we can still go?"

"If you can survive a bullet to the head, I think I can survive being hit a couple of times."

"You could have a concussion."

She squeezed his hand tight and Vulpes couldn't deny the way her genuine concern tugged at some part of him. Knowing that she would be there to check on him. Sad if anything happened to this version of himself.

_But not you. _

"We will see." He said. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

She watched him walk away from her, holding the bloodied rag as if it was something to be protected.

He turned the corner and let the rage take him.

His face burned, not just from the pain. He knew it would be bruised the next day if it wasn't discoloured already but at least that plan had gone as expected. The stupid mongrel hit hard but nothing he hadn't dealt with before and at least the dog was left out in the cold where he belonged. Even if he didn't manage to get Jude to separate from him entirely he could sure as hell get the sniper to walk away from her, just as the others would in time. Yet it wasn't enough. Walking away knowing he'd never get her talking with the Kings was like admitting defeat. Whether she knew it or not, she had won the game she hadn't even been aware she was playing.

Did it even matter? More and more she crept out of that cage she'd locked herself in after Nelson and yet it was as if she was climbing back in every night. Never ready to go back to the NCR but never ready to face the Legion again either. Whether she really was trying to keep the King busy or not he still needed to push her into the light. Pull the curtain back and show her the true NCR behind them.

The streets were almost empty. All the locals either in the Wrangler celebrating or in their own homes doing the same. Freeside wasn't the safest during the day never mind at night. Not many stupid enough to wander around past nightfall.

"Where we goin' Wayne?"

"Shhshhshh!" He didn't have to see the man to know he was drunk but not beyond thought. He staggered a bit, leaning on his friend.

"We've been going around lookin' for this guy for almost half an hour! I'm going home."

"No Roy wait! Wait! I is I-I swear! He's close!"

The one called Roy groaned and followed the younger black man towards the squatter side of town. No doubt looking for Dixon who made sure to stay up till the Wrangler closed in case anyone wanted a nightcap. However, they were heading in the wrong direction. Dixon was an idiot but not stupid enough to hang near NCR soldiers to peddle his wares or risk someone starting a fight. Junkies couldn't control themselves at the best of times, never mind when they wanted a hit. And one wrong look at an NCR soldier was all it could take to break the impasse the locals had made with the other NCR citizens. Locals beating on other locals seemed to fly under the radar, just so long as no NCR and no soldiers got involved.

Vulpes reached for a cigarette then heard footsteps approaching. Boots. Almost marching in step with each other.

He glanced again at the pair heading towards the squatters, watching them disappear around the corner. A wide smile stretched across his face, the pain not even registering.

The NCR soldiers passed him a moment later, talking softly between themselves. One older and one much younger, possibly new, but both huge, tall and wide. Looking tough enough to do a lot of damage if they wanted to.

Vulpes leaned against the wall and called out.

"Hey? Either of you got a light?"

They both turned to him as if a mine had gone off, hands to the weapons at their belts but relaxed when what he had asked settled into their dumb ape brains.

The older one chuckled. "Yeah, buddy. Come here."

Vulpes grunted, pushing himself off the wall and limped over to the two soldiers into the light of the streetlamp.

"Jesus, what the hell happened to you?"

He winced. "Am I that bad? Wondering if it feels worse than it looks."

"You look like you got on the wrong side of a Yao-Gui." The older one said. "Who did this?"

"Some guys." He replied. "Old guy and young guy. Had gotten into an argument with them at the Wrangler. They were talking some really weird shit."

"What kinda things?" The young one asked.

"Pro Legion crap. Thought it was all just for laughs and shit but heard them talking about wanting to join? Fucked up man. My pop served. Fought for the Mojave. Yet folk like them take their sacrifice for granted."

"Damn right they do." The older one agreed. "You NCR son?"

"Yeah. Think that was why they jumped me on my way out. You still got that light?"

"Get him a light Sergent." The older one nudged the young one.

"Yeah of course."

"So they jumped you? Just two?" The younger one asked and handed him a cheap army issue lighter. Vulpes didn't see a Sergent in him despite his patch claiming the same. Maybe a Private. He looked too new and nervous as if he had just been pulled off the streets. The older man had a different one and if Vulpes was right, one of a Lieutenant.

"Pretty sure but it all happened so fast. Remember them shouting, 'Fuck NCR' though, and something about Kai-zar?" He said the name as if it sounded foreign. As if it was some tribal word he didn't understand. "Did they mean Caesar?"

All it took was the mention of his Lord's name and like a curse, the older soldier tensed, his fist tight till his knuckles white.  
"What way did they go?" He asked.

Vulpes forced down a grin and pointed down towards the squatter side of town.

"That way. Why? What are you-?"

The older man smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder as if he was a young boy.

Vulpes felt his cheek twitch.

"You head to Julie okay? We'll deal with the two troublemakers."

"I don't want to cause any more-"

"It will all be dealt with. Run along now. You've done your pop's proud tonight."

Vulpes did as he was told without looking back, the boots stomping into the distance.

He slipped the cigarette into his mouth, chuckling as he lit it.

He no longer felt the pain in his face or the dull ache in his mouth. For the night was bright and tomorrow was going to be so much fun.

-/-/-/-/-/-


	5. Chapter 5 - Mr Sandman

AN: Goodness this one is long! Want to thank everyone that's been supporting it so far and hope you enjoy it :) Any advice or criticism is welcome :)

Edited 19/12/19 : Because I'm an idiot who only just realised that a line was missing from the beginning! :D

-/-/-/-/-/-

She smelled it before she saw it.

Tar-black smoke pumped up into the sky, like a sinister death knell hovering over the small desert town. The town itself a vision in red, orange and gold. Bodies hanging from makeshift crucifixes like morbid Christmas angels lit by fire; and Jude stood among them, unable to move. ED-E beeped as if asking if everything was okay.

Her stomach felt sick, and a solid lump stuck in her throat. The air was thick and heavy with a stillness to it that unnerved her. As if the town itself was holding its breath.

She racked her memories, so sure someone had warned her of this. Of them. Of the image of a bull in gold and yet her mind drew blank as it always did. Like the stupid brainless Courier, she was.

Her suit was too warm, the smoke itching and the stink of flesh and tires burning so pungent it struggled to leave room to think. All she could do was to stare at the Powder Ganger on the crucifix before her and wonder. Why?

The sun shone as it got lower in the sky, turning brilliant blues to vibrant pinks and yellows to help merge with the blood-soaked town. It was an overload to the senses, making her head burn.

The crucifixes stood like tall ghoulish trees, lining the streets. They had started with using the old telephone poles that still stood from before the War. But the further into the town and closer to homes it got the more makeshift and mangled the forest became. Shacks destroyed for wood and boards hammered together with almost expert precision. Each new cross like the other. Not all were leaving the victims to sit in limbo but burning in flames above tires that ensured they would burn for hours. The bodies in each different fire messes of charred flesh.

There were mostly men upon the crosses, but women hadn't been exempt. All in various states of dress with some in their clothes while others hung shirtless yet not one looked like they had been in a fight - their only wounds the large railway spikes rammed into their hands and feet that secured them to the pole. The number of men in blue prison uniform didn't surprise her though, and she would never expect Powder Gangers to put up a fight when confronted without their explosives. She was more shocked they had managed to catch the slippery assholes.

It was almost cathartic through the numb shock. To see the men nailed up like that in such a barbaric way. It was more than she could have even dreamt up for them and she had been dreaming hard all the way from Primm. Yet there was still that voice, that it was wrong even for them.

But they hadn't thought of that when they hurt those kids. So she wouldn't either.

"Kill me."

The voice came almost as a whisper from one of the men. He could hardly lift his head to look at her.

"Kill...me." He repeated.

She knew that face. She would know all their faces in a crowd of hundreds or a crowd of thousands, and yet it didn't seem the Powder Ganger recognised her. It didn't surprise her. The Bison Steve had been chaotic. Jude had sent ED-E in to take most of the heat, which confused the ever-loving shit out of the prisoners, leaving them shooting at the robot then at each other and before she knew it, a shoot out broke out between the prisoners, and she was just left to take out stragglers. However, some snuck out the back and ran off to Nipton, leaving a trail of mines and devastation in their wake. Just like they had done in Primm before she had arrived.

She had headed to Primm because she thought it would hold answers, but it hadn't been why she entered. NCR stood guard, telling her it was too dangerous and in the tents was the proof.

Children. Eleven of them in all, hanging around the infirmary tent in huddles and making sure to stay away from the NCR soldiers. Ones who stood too tall and had too big an aura for the kids to feel comfortable around. Nine lay in cots with what was of arms and legs bandaged up, their wounds weeping through the wrappings — some as young as six.

The doctor explained it to be the Powder Gangers laying their bombs and the kids getting in the middle of the fighting. Once the NCR arrived, they evacuated the kids as that's all they could hold for the time. One kid argued as she spoke to him that it wasn't fair as their mum was in there. That night the kid's brother passed away. Infection getting the better of him.

She could still hear their mother wailing in her ears.

Jude pulled out her gun and aimed it at his head, her grip tight on the handle.

The man closed his eyes.

Her hand trembled and knuckles almost white around the grip of the gun.

"You'd only be giving him what he wants."

She relaxed her hold.

The voice was smooth and crooning, almost seductive - as if taunting her - and right by her ear. She jerked her head to find a man standing to her side, grinning from ear to ear wearing the head of a coyote as if it was some kind of helmet. She didn't move.

"I'm aware," she replied, lowering her weapon.

"You're just going to leave him like that? To suffer?" he questioned. Even with the dark goggles, she could tell he allowed himself a good look at her as he stepped in front of the crucifix. He was dressed oddly, even for the Mojave. Top half looked like modded heavy leathers, the shoulders silver, bearing red crosses that she had also seen painted onto the walls of the buildings. Yet instead of leather pants or jeans, he wore a skirt like thing made from dark strips of leather buckled together. Most strange of all was the coyote head, adorning his own like a demented crown.

"I hope he does suffer," she replied, "terribly."

He grinned, and it was as if the temperature dropped ten degrees.

"Oh, he will. As will the rest of them."

It was in that moment she realised they had surrounded her. Men dressed as he was, but he alone wore a coyote head. He was different. In charge. Control. She didn't need the helmet to know that. The way he stood was enough. The way the men around them stood in perfect order, and she hadn't even heard them. Neither had-

"ED-E?"

He hovered beside her oblivious - not seeing them as a threat.

The man laughed, and it was if insects writhed and wriggled underneath her skin.

"You named it? How quaint."

"I didn't. ED-E told me that was his name."

The man looked at her like a parent would a child who had just told a lie, but an innocent one and they didn't want to waste their time telling them they were wrong.

ED-E stayed hovering beside her, humming away and it soothed her. The man wasn't going to hurt her. If he were, ED-E wouldn't be there.

"What happened here?" She asked, her eyes going up to the Powder Ganger on the cross.

"Oh don't worry," he said almost teasing, "I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these…" he trailed off as if looking for the correct word, "degenerates. It's actually useful that you happened by. I was just finishing up making an example of this town. Delivering a sermon if you will." He grinned, looking proud.

"I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton, to memorize every detail. And then, when you move on?" He had gotten closer, close enough she could feel the heat coming off him in waves. He was much taller than her, enough that she had to bend her neck to look him in the eyes which appeared to make him smile. Perhaps that's why he had gotten so close. To let her see just how much bigger than her he was. That despite the gun in her hand and the knife at her belt, he was still bigger.

A cold wind swept down her spine, despite the thin layer of sweat on her brow.

"I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson that KAI-zar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR troops you run across."

Caeser's Legion. That was it. The name on the tip of her tongue but he had said Caesar strangely compared to how everyone she had come across said it. Or was it the other way around. Had everyone else been saying it strange and he alone who said it right?

"What 'lessons' are you teaching?"

She hadn't thought the grin on his face could have gotten any broader, but it did as if she couldn't have asked a better question.

She didn't miss how his gaze seemed to linger on her, eyes she could only just see behind goggles idling on her for a bit longer than necessary. He clasped his hands behind his back, and she was glad he did, putting them out of reach of her.

"Where to begin? That they are weak, and we are strong? This much was known already.

But the depths of their moral sickness, their...dissolution? Nipton serves as the perfect object lesson."

"What do you mean?" The words tumbled out of her mouth.

He paused before he replied and looked up at the Powder Ganger on the cross then back to her as if judging something.

"You want this man to suffer. Terribly. A hatred that strong must have history?"

"Not just him," Jude replied. "Him and his' friends'. The whole rotten lot of them." She glared up at the man who couldn't even look at her. "That town didn't deserve what you did to them. Those kids didn't deserve it." She looked back at the Legionnaire, her face twisted in disgusted. "Children maimed. Because of them. Because of their bombs."

"Disgusting towns even still let them in, isn't it? They still serve them and in the end, become tainted by them, and Nipton was one of the worst offenders of them all."

"Worst?" She watched as he stepped behind her, making sure to keep her eyes on him as if worried he would do something when out of her sights. Perhaps it was the smirk on his face. Or the way he watched her so close like he was just waiting for the moment she looked away.

"Debased, wicked, corrupt. All apt descriptors. It served all those who came here, so long as they paid. Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion such as myself - the people here didn't care. It was a town of whores." He stopped circling her to say that last part, staring her dead in the eyes as if he needed to make sure she understood. It was the most crude he had gotten, and it took her off guard, sounding almost too harsh for him which, when surrounded by the bodies of crucified men and women, was a ridiculous thought even to her.

"For a pittance, the town agreed to lead those it had sheltered into a trap. Only when I sprang it did they realize they were caught inside it too."

"You captured everyone?"

"Yes, and herded them to the centre of town. I told them their sins, the foremost being disloyalty." He spat the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Are you aware that when Legionaries are disloyal, some are punished, and the others made to watch?" he asked. Jude shook her head.

"Funny. The people here didn't either. Soon learned, however. At least once I announced the lottery."

"Lottery? That man mentioned-"

"Ah, so you met our 'winner'?"

"Winner?"

"You should have seen the looks on their faces." He said. She turned, following his gaze, looking over the forest of bodies, jumping as his hands clasped her shoulders. Not tight but as if making sure she kept looking - that she took in what he had done.

"Each clutched his ticket, hoping it would set him free." His breath tickled her neck. He was close enough they would knock heads if she turned around.

"Yet each did nothing, even when supposed 'loved ones' were dragged away to be killed." She could hear the bile at the term loved ones. As if it was a worse curse than 'whore' or as if he had just blasphemed.

"Do you understand now?" He squeezed her shoulders tighter.

She closed her eyes.

"Jude?" She heard him call, but his voice sounded far away as if he was calling from another room, and then the thought occurred to her that she hadn't told him her name yet.

"Jude? Are you okay?"

Foxx stood in front of her with his hat in his hands and face contorted in confusion. Jude couldn't speak for a moment, trying to recall what she had just been thinking about, but the thought was like a cloud, dispersing when she tried to grab hold of it.

The Wrangler was busier than it had been the night before. Hadrian still on stage performing one of his routines as a crowd heckled him. She was sure even James had thrown in a jab or two from the bar. Not that it appeared even to bother the Ghoul who stood on the stage grinning like he wasn't seeing it and continuing, oblivious to the crowd.

"I…" She looked back to her friends who instead of watching the 'comedy' show, watched her as if they didn't believe she was going to stay there. Like she was a child throwing a fit and would come back to them in a moment. Something in their expressions sent her fuming, heat flooding under her skin. She set her jaw and turned away. "I'll end up killing them if I sit with them any longer."

Foxx followed her gazed and smiled at her friends, something so familiar about the way he did so, but like the cloud, it faded as he looked back at her, a warmth filling her chest.

"You look like you need a good shoulder again."

She glanced back to her companions, ignoring the heat rising to her face.

"You'd think with that many friends you wouldn't have the problem of having someone to talk to."

She heard him make a sound as if irritated.

"No. You wouldn't would you."

She went red, about to apologise for interrupting his night when he pulled off his jacket and sat in his usual chair opposite her and smiled brightly.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You're bright red."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, "For just sitting at your table and no doubt ruining your nigh-"

"My table?" He laughed.

"You've sat here almost every night for weeks."

"And you noticed? So you were watching me back." He grinned, looking smug.

"So you admit you were watching me first?"

He leaned forward, his eyes trailing over her as if he was going to find something new about her each time and each time smiling as if he had found it. She almost wanted to ask him what it was he was observing that was so fascinating, but he was already getting her flustered with that look alone, and even her thoughts of what he could reply were making her warm-up.

"Would anyone blame me?" He asked. "I admitted to that crime yesterday. Although I also said I could listen to you all night so I can understand your doubt."

She laughed but couldn't keep out the note of sadness. "Is he okay?" The words came out more out of politeness, although she was curious about the young man that had ruined their moment the night before. Westside wasn't easy, and he had looked so worried. As if scared for his life.

His grin only got fuller at the mention of the young man, whose name escaped her.

"We won't get interrupted tonight I can promise you that." Was all he answered. "You have my complete and utter, undivided attention. If you want it, that is? I do owe you one."

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes that rattled, along with a plain silver lighter and placed them on the table then settled himself back in his seat as if waiting for her to start talking or stand up and leave him. No matter what he was sitting there, continuing with his night with our without her. Just the thought of going back to the others made her stomach dip. She didn't even glance back at them just pulled her seat in closer, which made his grin spread across his face.

"I...just feel like can't say anything without one of them getting pissed off about it." She said. She began to explain. "I've forgotten a lot. And its made worse cause a lot of the time the Mojave feels like I've walked into a bar during a comedy show when their halfway through a punchline and everyone is looking at you wondering why you ain't laughing."

"That's...very particular," Foxx said.

"It's a very particular feeling. Lost maybe? That's the closest thing I can think to describe it." She lay her head down on the table, sighing. "But I can't feel like that. Not when I'm THE Courier. THE Courier doesn't feel lost. She's a hero and knows things. Knows about the NCR. About the history of the Mojave, the Legion and makes the right choices and blah blah blah blah, bullshit." She groaned. "But I don't know, and I can't even ask my friends cause all they do is tell me how wrong I am for even thinking sometimes!"

"Wrong for thinking? What do you mean?"

"They question everything I think. Every idea because they're aware I don't remember. Almost like they think if they get there first, I'll believe their mindset more?"

Foxx look passed her; his eyes narrowed at her companions again. There was a strange look on his face like they almost amused him, but there was something else she couldn't quite place like with many of his expressions.

"Mailable." He said.

There was something dark about it as if there was an animal underneath clawing to get out or perhaps worse. Both were feelings Jude knew well but also ones that made her bite down hard on her lip as he again trailed his eyes over her and she was unable to shake off a thought that made her go pink.

"What?"

"You're friends." He said. "They think you're mailable at least that your brain is. Not their fault, though. NCR, Brotherhood, Followers. All cults in their own way and they're just trying to make a believer out of you. You'll never be completely right. Not in their eyes."

His gaze dropped down from her face, and his teeth ground together before he gave her a toothy grin. It took her brain a moment to realise how she was leaning forward on her arms in a very tight vest. He grinned wider as he saw her realisation as if it amused him more that she had been doing it unconsciously and yet there was an edge to it, like a coyote eyeing up his dinner. Part of her knew she should move back to stop encouraging him. She would have to be blind not to know what he wanted from her. There was just a part of her that found it all too real. Too strong. So much need so fast that there was something off about it. But she didn't move.

While the vault suit was good at downplaying her femaleness which was definitely for the better in the Wastes, it also made it easy for her to forget it was even a thing. It was as if only the blue suit and blood were visible to even herself till she stepped out of it and it all flooded back just as quickly as picking up a gun had been when she first woke up. Especially when Foxx looked at her as he did whenever she was near him, it was like the ultimate confirmation that she had done something right, When in reality it was all just some silly cosmic lottery. She just so happened to suit his fancy but as stupid as it was it had made her feel better than finishing a job for the Garrets or getting recognition from the NCR had. Their gratitude was for her one-sided heroics, and it would fade the second she stopped helping them. His was almost more innocent and primal in a way. While it would fade in time, at least it was honest. At least with him, she had an idea of where she stood.

"But what do you believe in Jude?" He asked with a knowing smile. "Now that's what I'm interested in."

"If I knew that I wouldn't need to ask people."

"Why ask? Just look around, and you'll know what you think."

She steeled herself - her stomach swirling.

"What I think?"

He frowned. "Why say it like that?"

"Just think some thoughts are better left alone."

"Thoughts like what Jude?"

"You want a drink?" She asked. "I'll get us drinks." She stood before he could say another word and turned away from him. Her mind raced, hoping it wasn't written all over her face. A thin film of sweat dotted her forehead, and her cheeks felt red. She rubbed her eyes hard, leaning over the bar.

The heat was intense, beating down onto her as if giant fans were spinning above her head, cooking her alive.

"You enjoy it, don't you? Killing people."

He said it like it was a statement more than a question and didn't even look worried or concerned about how she would receive it. He just stood there among the bodies, leaning against what remained of a building and watched her, the Mojave sun high in the sky behind him.

Her heart raced as if she wasn't expecting him to be there. An almost fluttering panic that made her feel a little breathless. Thoughts flashed through her mind, wondering where she was and why he wasn't in his suit but instead standing bloodied and scuffed among the bodies of Fiends; in combat pants and a tactical vest over a shirt that had maybe once been white but not any time recently.

Her mind couldn't make sense of it. She felt like she was trying to continue a conversation she had missed several beats in and couldn't even get past understanding what had been said last.

But as the meaning clicked the words sunk in like a knife right between the ribs.

Like the volume being turned up on a radio, the sound of running water rushed into her ears. As if she had been in a little world of her own and yanked right back out of it a bumbling an aching mess. Every sound around her too loud and too sharp. She watched the dried blood run from her hands through the water and into the dirt and sand were it dispersed as if it never existed just like whatever she had been thinking. The water wasn't even much colder than the surrounding air, maybe by a degree or two but it made little difference it the mid-afternoon heat.

The air stank of metal and smoke. Blood soaking into the stones and sand, and dripped from high where several were shot from their posts. It splattered walls were some had been too chemed up or stupid just to die and kept going for her. Some got their leg blown in or another critical injury - ones that didn't knit together despite the Stimpaks she caught them shoving into their arms. She didn't know if there was something in those chems that changed their blood, but it flowed like a never-ending river from almost all of them making what was only a fight against a small gathering look as if she had taken on every single Fiend in South Vegas. It stuck to her hands, and she didn't even want to look at her clothes. Instead, just wash it away. Remove any evidence of what she had done.

She tried to speak, but orders and directions shouted between the two left her throat ragged and the taste of blood in her mouth. She swallowed hard. Foxx raised an eyebrow but didn't ask anything further. Just kept staring and waiting for an answer. She didn't know how he could even look at her.

"I didn't mean to." The words tumbled out as if desperate to be said.

She heard him snicker and the sounds of his boots getting closer. "Yes, and I don't smoke."

He held the packet out to her, one already hanging loose from his mouth. She shook her head, and he shrugged. "Just in case you'd changed your mind."

The sound of a lighter click and the stink of tobacco wafted through the air. The only noise between them was that of running water splashing as she kept scrubbing at her hands.

"If it helps, I enjoyed myself."

She didn't respond. Not even to say smoking was a nasty habit and to put it out. Mixes of pale and dark pink trickled down into the puddle below her that swirled with red and brown. Her sleeves drenched and her hands a cherry red but still, the water stayed pink. No matter how much she scrubbed, it wasn't running clean.

Foxx sighed.

"I think your hands are clean enough."

"There's just-"

Foxx reached over and pulled the rusted metal handle of the centuries-old water pump back up, shutting it off without taking his eyes off her.

"Foxx!"

"Who is it?"

"Foxx seriously, I'm still-"

"Who's gotten it into your head that something like this is wrong? You were _glorious_!"

Her heart skipped a beat. "It was murder. Don't try to glamorise it. Mr New Vegas does that enough."

"It was the murder of drugged up degenerates who deserved what they got. Who would even think to convince you otherwise?"

"Just cause they deserved it doesn't mean we had to go at them as if we were a rival Fiends gang!"

Foxx scoffed. "You really think the Fiends could be as efficient as we were? They can hardly tie a shoelace."

"I need to control myself. Arcade has seen me like this, and he's concerned. That it could be a reaction to some kind of trauma from before Benny or something because of the...incident."

He stepped behind her and squeezed both her shoulders. She could see his face in the reflection of blacked-out windows, smiling as he leaned into her ear.

"Or perhaps you just enjoy doing bad things to bad people."

She couldn't answer him, a sick sensation churning away in her stomach. She hadn't even wanted to think it, yet it was different being said out loud and by Foxx. He almost made it sound reasonable.

"It feels right. At the time." She said finally, her voice wavering. "Just. Almost."

"Then it doesn't?"

"I don't want people to be afraid of me." She said the words barely above a whisper.

"The only ones that seem to be afraid are those voices in your head, and you know as well as I do, they aren't your own at this point."

She looked at him in the window, and she wished she could share his feeling. See what he was seeing. He never looked repulsed or worried or confused after she lost control but happy like he saw something unusual. It was the same look she would catch on him when he didn't think she was looking. But as much as she wanted to believe him, there was still that niggling voice in her mind telling her to look around and see it. Really see it. Asking if anyone would even be able to tell the difference between the mess she's left and one committed by Legion. Yet the thought of letting it all go and accepting that burn, that rage was tantalizing. Easier than the pain in her chest and the weight on her aching shoulders trying to keep it shoved deep down.

Jude stepped away, picking the direction opposite him to start walking.

"We should head back to Freeside." She said.

"Jude at least consider-"

A blur dove on her, knocking her to the ground. She gasped as her lungs emptied and the sky around her sparkled with white lights. The blur scratched and tore at anything it could grab as it scrambled to get on top of Jude. Her face was wild, teeth bared, and she screamed. Pushing with all her weight to restrain Jude but Jude pushed back. The woman struggled to reach for a knife on her belt. Jude kicked out and shoved with all the force she could muster at the odd angle. Stone and brick stabbing into her back. Fingers seized strands of Jude's hair, and in one hard motion, Jude heard it rip from her scalp.

Jude cried out and shoved hard against the woman, grabbing the knife before she could. The nails bit and clawed at her hand around the hilt. Jude pushed again, and the woman fell away. Foxx held the Fiend tight, his arm around her waist as she kicked and wailed. He threw her down, and something cracked. Reaching down, he pulled her up again by the arms.

A deep and guttural sound rolled from Jude's throat, her jaw set tight and hand clasped tight around the handle of the knife. Foxx struggled with the Fiend to keep her arms in his grasp. While not strong with thin and wiry limbs, she kicked and bit like a rabid dog.

Jude's blood boiled. That rush, burning like Cazador venom but forcing her forward. Every noise around her muffled, the faint sounds of the woman screaming and scuffing in the dirt. The loudest thing was a voice. Foxx telling her to let go.

Just see what would happen.

She struggled to her feet on the jagged stones, her heart hammering uneven as if skipping and jumping around and she rammed the knife into the woman's gut. The woman gasped, a small whimper escaping her lips, yet she still pulled against Foxx's grasp. Her eyes almost glassy before they found Jude's.

The woman was Fiend but looked like some kind of lackey rather than a fighter. The knife had nothing to stop it going in deep, her armour little more than cloth.

Jude twisted it, getting a cry of pain out of the Fiend.

She glowered at Jude, eyes darting away as if something kept catching her attention. Her pupils almost covered her entire iris, making her squint in the light of the sun.

Foxx managed to steady her. Her arms wrapped tight in his so she couldn't even move in protest. He didn't pay her any mind, though; instead, he watched Jude. Grinning.

"You feel it now don't you?" He asked. "That fire raging through you. Embrace it, Jude. I'm right here with you."

Jude grunted. Her mouth was dry, and every muscle in her body was tense, trying to keep herself centred.

"They exist because the NCR will do nothing to stop them. But you can, Jude. We can. We will do what has to be done. For the Mojave."

It sounded so reasonable. The Fiends had been nothing but a pain in her backside since she got to Vegas. Rabid and wild dogs, hurting anyone they came across and taking so much pleasure in being feared as if they were anything more than Raiders on chem highs. All thanks to NCR incompetence just like everything else in the Mojave. They were coyotes who had risen to the top of the food chain just because the Deathclaw found them useful distractions. It was time they felt even a sliver of the fear they spread. Time they knew what it was like to be hunted.

Jude yanked the knife out, and the woman cried out again. Ghostly cold fingers traced up her spine, and she tried to suppress the shiver.

"Best to have a knife ready when trying to stab someone in the back." Jude said, her voice filled with venom.

Foxx laughed. "Are you even surprised? She's nothing but a wild dog."

The woman spat at her and bared her teeth, her legs kicking out.

Foxx forced her down, his face twisted in delight. The woman gasped and groaned but tried to push back, her wound oozing out onto her clothes and dripping down to the dirt. She collapsed to her knees before Jude, her pallor paler than before and breathing laboured.

"Butcher." The word spat like venom from the Fiends mouth.

Jude looked back over the bodies. Spread across the neighbourhood like an impressionist painting she had seen in Arcade's books.

"Fiends are all rabid dogs. And there is only one solution to it." She said. "Consider what happened here a mercy."

The woman started to pant, and a faint sheen of sweat coated her skin. Her skin had taken on a grey tone as she tried to pull out of Foxx's grasp, but it was as effective as a butterflies wing against a wild storm.

"I know this will be hard for your chem addled brain to understand." She said. "But tell Motor Runner what happened here. And what is waiting when we finally catch up to him."

Foxx caught Jude's eyes; his face lit up in joy. He let go of the woman, leaving her to collapse onto the dirt. She cried out, one hand going for the wound and pressing tight. Her eyes were fire, set on Jude.

She tried to stand, but her feet gave way underneath her, leaving her back in the sand.

"And I would hurry if I were you." Jude added, putting her new knife away before motioning for Foxx to follow her. "Wouldn't want you bleeding out before you got to him."

Foxx laughed, the sound low and full and filling her chest more than the NCR praise ever had. Jude heard the woman try to scramble to her feet again and again fail, which only made her smile.

"Humour me for a moment," Foxx said, stopping just in front of the wooden monstrosity of a Fiend base. He pulled a molotov from his backpack and handed it to Jude.

She had thrown them before - many times when dealing with Powder Gangers - yet the one in her hand felt more substantial than any of them had when Foxx's suggestion sank in.

"Just in case our runner doesn't make it." He assured her. As if she would argue back that it was wrong, but the buzz still rushed through her veins and into her head - an intoxicating and all-consuming wave that left her flying.

Jude looked at the crumbled remains of the Fiend base. A ramshackle wooden mess that sat splintered and splattered with blood and filled with mattresses, clothes, and so much that would just go up in smoke.

He held out his lighter, and she took it, setting the world around her on fire.

-/-/-/-

Jude awoke to the smell of burning wood.

It dissipated in an instant. Leaving behind the faint memory of the dream, but the more Jude tried to focus, the more it flitted away. Just vague ideas of fire and blood and smoke. Of a man whispering in her ear.

She moved her head, and the world went on fire. It was as if something had buried a pickaxe into her eye and left it there. For a moment, she even considered she had been shot again.

She kicked the blanket away and struggled to sit.

Light filtered in from the window and it seared her eyes like a laser burn. A pained cry whimpered from her lips. Her teeth gritted together and she pushed against the bedside table and onto shaking feet.

She had collapsed into bed last night without care to set up as usual - her bag sitting on the table on the other side of the room and no Med-X at her bedside if needed. Despite her best interests, she had stayed up to wait for Boone getting back yet he had still been out late into the morning - James and Francine both having to send her off to bed when it got too late. She had intended to stay up in her room, just to make sure he got back okay, but the moment her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep. She had at least changed out of her vault suit, or she could only imagine how much harder it would have been to stand after sleeping in the reinforced leather suit.

The room shook. Either that or Jude was shaking, and nothing she did was stopping it. Jude staggered over to the table, and the room spun wild around her. She focused on one step at a time, but her knees gave in sending her stumbling to the floor. The wooden floor felt cold against her bare legs, and she lay her head down, haggard and pained breaths groaning out from her.

Her head screamed out. It burned behind her eyes as if her brain was trying to escape out from behind them and it with every nod or movement she wanted to cry. Everything felt one hundred times too bright and too loud. The only relief the cold wooden floor against her forehead like tonic over a bad burn.

Over the swirling and rushing winds in her head, she heard beeping strung together like a robot trying to communicate. A motor whirred above her, each beep and scratch making her whimper.

"ED-E." She groaned. "Get-"

Then someone knocked. Each bang making her sob, her eyes stinging with tears.

"Hel…" It was all she could get out and it hardly a whisper.

"Jude? Are you awake?"

She recognised the voice behind the door, but it was as if her mind was too drunk to make any kind of connections — just thoughts of coyotes and crosses mixed with cigarettes and blood.

Jude put her hand's palm down on the floor against her head and took in controlled and measured breaths. In her mind, she braced herself, but her arms didn't follow suit. Her body still trembling.

ED-E beeped something in response to the person behind the door, making her teeth clench.

"Jude?" More knocks and an audible cry sobbed from her as if she couldn't control it.

"Jude are you-?" The door opened with an ear-piercing screech she had never noticed before.

Moving her eyes to look even sent a flash of pain through her skull.

Her head didn't fully register Foxx. How he quickly closed the door behind him and rushed to her side. ED-E made a happier sounding noise at the sight of him and spun in place. Foxx smoothed her hair away from her face and tried to get her to focus on him. But her mind was gone and filled with one thought. A bullet had caused this pain, so perhaps another one would fix it.

"Jude, what do you need? Can you-"

She sobbed, only able to get out the words in short teeth grinding pieces. "M-m-me-Med-Med-X."

His expression steeled. His hands guided Jude's trembling form onto her back, but before she could soak in the cold floor again, his arms slid under her back and her legs. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing and she buried her head into the crook of his arm, hiding away from the light. He tried to slip her onto the bed, but she clung to his shirt, whining as he moved away.

The fear of him being a hallucination far too real, or that he would just leave her there alone. A faint groan emerged from him, but it didn't sound angry but frustrated in a way that reminded her of someone not getting what they wanted. He knelt by her side and peeled her fingers off his shirt, but the moment he pushed himself up, she grabbed again.

Jude looked up at him. Jaw set and eyes burning with streaming tears, every muscle was holding back a full break down.

"Me-" she tried to stutter. "Me...Med...Me..."

He shushed her like she was a fussing child, stroking her hair.

"Don't strain yourself." he smiled softly, "I'll get it."

She allowed a whimper to escape but bit it back, looking up and away.

The minutes it took him to find the Med-X stretched on for eternity till the fear of a hallucination rushed back. That she was still laying on the floor of her room, all alone as she rode through the pain. Then he was back at her side. He placed his hand against her face like he was assuring her he was there.

"I'm going to have to inject it into your thigh." He said. "You're shaking too much. I don't want to hurt you."

She sobbed, bit down on her lip and nodded. Her eyes closed tight; she parted her legs.

His hand was like fire against her skin. It pressed against her soft thigh and pushed them further apart.

"I know it will be hard but try to relax as much as possible. Try not to tense."

He pulled back on the skin, keeping it taut then she felt a pinprick followed by nothing.

It was like a frozen wave, drowning out all the fire and leaving her numb. Her body melted into the bed - trembling fading until it too stopped. Foxx held his hand against her forehead.

"Keep your eyes closed and lay down. I'm going to get you some water."

She wanted to tell him there were bottles in her bag, but she couldn't get her mouth to move, and he was out of the room in a shot. Jude pressed her palms into her eyes.

The numbness was blissful while it lasted, and as it faded, the pain didn't come back with it.

He was gone for only a few minutes, returning with a cloth and a bottle of cold water in his hand. Jude sat up, but he pushed her back down.

"Take it easy, cricket." He said. "Give the Med-X time."

Foxx sat beside her on the bed and poured some of the water onto the cloth, then folded it over onto itself.

"What's…" She trailed off, unable to think of the next word.

"Cold compress. You were burning up." And he placed the cloth on her forehead.

The cold was welcoming against the heat. While the fire had stopped raging, Jude still felt the residual warmth in her face. She groaned and relaxed into the mattress.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you." She replied a little breathless. "Thought I was going to have to ride it out."

"Thank ED-E or I would have just thought you were sleeping. Is that what they're normally like?"

"Yeah. Or worse. Sorry, you had to see that."

She felt his hand on her thigh. It was rough and calloused and so warm. She felt the heat return to her face and hoped that the compress hid it.

The bright light of the sun scorched her eyes. They fluttered open, her hand covering them to block out the worst of it.

The hand on her thigh squeezed, and she bit down on the inside of her mouth. Foxx was tantalisingly close, his fingers brushing against the sensitive skin that had been part of many a fantasy - of his lips trailing kisses up the delicate flesh to where she craved him. The heat in her face only got warmer, and she hoped he wouldn't notice but knew he would. He always did.

One look at his face and she knew she had been right. His bruised face was lit up with a knowing smirk. The injury from the night before was virtually healed, leaving only a red and inflamed looking mark on his lip along with faint blue and green bruising dotted around his mouth and nose.

Without thinking, she sat up and reached for his face, brushing the bruise with her fingertips.

"You should lay back-" He tried to argue.

"Did you let Julie stick a stimpak in you?" She sounded almost incredulous.

He sighed and relaxed into her touch like a dog would when being pet. Her stomach flipped.

"Just the one. Two would have fixed it up but I-"

"Don't trust what's in them." She finished for him with a smile. There was something warming about the predictability or perhaps that she had gotten to the point where she could predict him. "Yet you smoke and drink?"

He winked. "Everyone has a vice, cricket. How are you feeling?" He pressed the back of his hand to her cheek, just increasing the warmth and deepening the scarlet flush.

Foxx smirked. "Strange. No temperature yet you're still flushed…"

"Just...just a bit warm." She muttered, glancing at him then looking away again. Her skin was burning, and she was very aware of his hand on her leg. Of his thumb that had continued to stroke the sensitive skin. She didn't know if it was the Med-X or her brain making up for what it did, but it always made her crave the touch of another and recently that had meant Foxx. During past attacks, he hadn't been there to see or to touch her. Without him, she could talk herself down but having him in the room and real, was a temptation too much for her body to bear.

"I'm feeling a lot better though really."

Foxx tutted. "Don't know…" He moved his hand, clasping her neck and getting a short gasp out of her and making her wish he would just slide his other hand a little further up. Or that he would lean in closer and closer till she could pull him down with her and finally know the taste of his mouth on hers. But doing that now would be like admitting defeat, that she had been won over by the charm and the smiles and his soft touches when she hadn't.

She hadn't.

"Although your temperature seems fine here."

"Yep." Was all she could say as she avoided his eyes that would see everything she was thinking.

"You know yourself best, I guess." He showed off his best charming smile that didn't help with the ache between her legs and the want to just wrap her legs around him. "Will you be okay to go out today?"

"Of course. We had plans, and I'm not about to break them cause of a stupid migraine."

Foxx's face dropped as did Jude's stomach.

"You aren't cancelling on me, are you?" She teased, but there was a hint of worry edging it.

"Wouldn't dream of it...however-"

"That isn't a great sounding 'however'."

He ran his hand down his face, and Jude noticed just how tired he seemed. As if drained by even the thought of telling her.

"When I was at the Mormon Fort, I overheard something...Two guys were hauled in. Locals beat to a pulp. I thought they were just the usual gang members who had gotten into a tussle, but when the doctor left, I overheard them from outside. Talking about who attacked them."

"And?"

He took in a deep breath. "They believe they were NCR. Soldiers."

"What?"

Her head spun at the mere thought. Two soldiers beating on defenceless townies? It couldn't be true, and yet the evidence was sitting injured in the Mormon Fort.

"How bad?"

"Bad enough one is being kept there for a couple of days. The younger man seems to have taken the brunt of it."

She couldn't keep up with each thought whizzing through her mind. Of why NCR would do it. What the hell they could have done to put him in the Fort for days? What could the locals have said and again, why? She couldn't get her head around that one question.

"I need to go see them." Jude said, shuffling off the other end of the bed. She missed the pressure of his hand and heat from him sitting by her. Part of her wanted to lay back down, but she had to see for herself what had happened.

"Doubt they'll talk to you. Tried myself but they said they'd only speak to the King or one of his lackeys. Several times"

She grabbed a clean set of underwear she had left out to dry the day before.

"It couldn't be some kind of set up from the King, could it? To push the NCR out? Can you…" she trailed off, motioning for him to look the other way which he did.

"Think if that were the case, they'd be shouting it a lot louder. It looks to me as if they're trying to keep it hush until the King tells them what to do."

"Don't you work with the King? Why wouldn't they speak to you?"

She slipped off her undergarments, very aware of how easy it would be for him to look but something in her knew he wouldn't. She grabbed a different bra than the usual army ones she had come to favour. It was a bit fancy compared to her others that were more secure, but the day was turning from going out into the Wastes to a more diplomatic mission. If she had learned anything since waking up, it was that men in the Mojave were easily distracted by the flesh on her chest. She just hoped she wouldn't need to fool the King like that and he was as reasonable as Foxx made him out to be.

"I wasn't about to claim I work with him when I haven't been to see him in a long while. Plus I don't want to try him by getting to the victims before he can, or his goons will convince him that I talked them out of something."

"Thought you were friends?" She teased and pulled the new vest over her head.

"Doesn't mean his men are my biggest fan. Think I talk to him too much. They catch wind I was there first, and I can think of several that would start spreading that I was covering for NCR."

"You? Cover for NCR?"

"Never said they were smart goons."

Her vault suit was folded as neat as she could get it. It had become almost a second skin the more modifications she made. Leather stitched into the lining to make it more resistant. Plus the heavy leather arm and shoulder pads. Yet going out in full leathers felt overkill. It was a diplomatic mission if anything.

"If it is true, will he listen if I try to talk him out of doing anything?"

"Depends. Bet he already suspects it's NCR and is just itching to sic his boys on any soldiers than come near. But he needs evidence first. He won't start a fight without proof."

"It will be chaos if he does." She rubbed her eyes and groaned. "What on earth possessed those soldiers to do something so stupid?"

"The rift between NCR and locals has been getting smaller, but that doesn't mean everyone on both sides sees it that way." He breathed deep and let out a heavy sigh. "I know you didn't want to get involved Jude. Wish you were meeting him under better circumstances as he'll likely not be as trusting as usual. Maybe get you to do something for him first."

"I haven't proven myself enough?"

"Even though you don't talk to the NCR much anymore, you're still known as their hero. If he already suspects NCR involvement he may think your there to clean it up for them rather than help him. Considering you haven't chosen to speak with him till now, I wouldn't blame the man for being a bit suspicious that the NCR hero shows up just as the NCR may be in trouble."

She wouldn't blame him either. She thought she was so smart, leaving the NCR and Kings to their games. If she had considered for a minute that it would lead to people getting hurt and so soon she would have walked into the School the first day she arrived.

She buckled her belt around her waist, the weight familiar and comforting then grabbed her Pip-Boy from her trunk.

"I know." She groaned. "You were right as usual. This would have been a lot easier if I'd met him before now. I just...didn't want to be used in some power play again." She fastened the Pip-Boy to her arm over the glove and stretched out her fingers to check they were still mobile.

"Any of the others downstairs?" She asked, sitting down beside him as she pulled on the soft and worn leather boots. New ones were in order, yet she'd been having issues finding a pair her size that hadn't already been battered from overuse.

"Just Cass. Arcade was over at the Fort before I left."

"What for?"

"No idea. Never asked."

Jude paused. The question of Boone on the tip of her tongue.

"I didn't see Boone there before you ask."

"How-"

"Cass thought I might have been him when I walked into the bar so early. Has he really not come back?"

She shrugged. "Guess not."

Foxx sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "He just needs space."

"Don't need to defend him, Foxx. He was an ass to you."

Foxx didn't answer right away, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something.

"What is it, Foxx?"

"I haven't wanted to bring it up. You seemed amused by the thought when we first met. But after last night I need to ask. Do you think Boone could have...feelings for you?"

Jude couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the question. Out of everything she could expect him to ask it wasn't even on the list of likely. Yet his eyes were serious.

"Like what? Romantic ones? Of course not. He's _Boone_."

It sounded silly even to consider. Even Boone's name in the same sentence as romance felt wrong.

"He does seem rather attached to you," Foxx added.

"I...I've helped him where I think many didn't is all. As much as he denies it, I think he feels he owes me. He has this whole stupid complex with loyalty. Its why he goes after Cass. And you being an opinionated schmoozer who never stays put-"

"I'm taking that as a compliment." He grinned.

"Hey, it's what I like about you." She smiled back. "But he's put you in the same category as Cass no doubt. Only, he thinks he can hit you and not feel bad."

She narrowed her eyes, the smile still playing on her lips.

"Why? You aren't jealous, are you?" She nudged him, trying to ignore the way heart thumped at the very thought.

He shrugged. "What if I was?"

There was something about the way he said it, and how he looked at her. He trailed his eyes up and down, taking his time as if seeing her for the first time. It set her skin alight. It was a talent only he seemed to have with her. Enough of men looked at her like she was some kind of meal they wanted to devour and yet none were able to make her stomach swirl with wild butterflies and turn her breathing short. Her face felt as if it was on fire and from his grin, it was written all over her face how affected she was, and he loved it. Jude swallowed hard and looked away.

"Um. We should get going." She said and got up. He laughed behind her, the sound empty and with a twinge of something else she couldn't place.

ED-E beeped in delight and followed them out the door, and Jude was glad Foxx didn't ask her to answer his question. At least not yet.

Cass sat at the bar nursing a Sasparilla. Her shoulders slumped, and her face contorted into a frown. Jude's chest fluttered and got tight.

Somehow, she had a feeling that Cass wasn't going to be happy when she heard where she was going.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-


	6. Chapter 6 - Soggy Clothes & Breezeblocks

AN: Thank you to everyone supporting the story so far! Hope you've been enjoying it! Trigger warnings also in this chapter for sex-related stuff.

TW: Smut

There will also be a little note at the end about continuity stuff I discovered while writing the chapter. It's more a footnote which is why it's at the end. Just got a little thing I want to mention.

Happy Holidays to everyone and a Happy New Year when it comes!

If you have any advice or criticism please feel free to contact me! Hope you enjoy :)

Also if you have a moment, can you let me know if you like the longer chapters or if you'd prefer them to be shorter? Thanks :D

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Vulpes watched the Courier storm out of the Wrangler a little after mid-morning, and he allowed himself a small moment to feel triumphant.

She almost snapped the hinges off the door, getting the attention of half the street who parted as the Red Sea did for Moses. Crowds of meandering locals, vagabonds and groups of Kings were unable to look her in the eyes or do anything apart from wait to see what she did next.

"You coming?" She called from the centre of the street.

She looked wired, not even covering her eyes from the sun. Like a Fiend who would take a puff of Jet before running into battle like crazed berserkers. With every second step she took, she paced back like a Yaoguai in a cage, her shoulders squared and set tight. She was like a coiled spring set and ready to be released. If he were a better man he would go inside and thank Cass and her loud mouth.

He had heard the fighting inside the Wrangler get louder after Jude asked him to wait for her outside. Muttering turning into yelling within minutes as Jude tried to explain to Cass what they were doing. Only for it to get worse when he heard Veronica's voice added to the mix, trying to mediate between the two. However, her technique of shouting louder than both of them only exacerbated the yelling until it boiled over worse than a Yellowstone thermal pool.

He did his best to hide the grin on his face the moment Jude appeared, pushing it to the side of his mouth, but it was just too good. The last twenty-four hours couldn't have gone better even if he had planned it, and the only bit he was almost ashamed of was for not thinking of any of it sooner.

The closer he got the more her shoulders softened, but she seemed distant as if she was still far away in her mind. She rubbed her face and almost said something when the door crashed open again. With it, the feeling of triumph in him was flitted away, replaced with deep, flaming anger. The scribe ran out of the bar like a panicked parent looking for a runaway child.

"Which way did she go?"

The drunk was less hurried, walking as if she had all the time in the world, a sasparilla bottle in her hand that she made sure to take a swig from.

Jude bristled beside him.

"No." He held up a hand, stopping her moving forward.

"If they think they can change my mind." She warned.

"Didn't go well?"

"They're being selfish." She replied. "Shouldn't be surprised."

"Jude!" Veronica called and ran into the masses towards them.

"I'll deal with them. You go to the King."

"I can deal with them my-"

"If they can't change your mind, they'll find a way to distract you. Let me get rid of them?"

Jude pursed her lips, but one glance at the two women and Jude disappeared into the crowd.

"Can you slow down?" Cass exclaimed as she shoved people out of her way.

"Where even is the King's School?" Veronica asked.

"Who cares? She's being an ass." Cass said and tried to guide her back into the bar.

"She's upset, Cass! We can't just leave her! She wouldn't leave us!"

"We don't act like that!"

"No! Some of us act worse!"

Cass huffed. "She won't listen to you anyhow."

"Doesn't mean we don't try! Maybe if we talk to Foxx first! He's with her! He can talk some sense-"

"Or we just fucking wait!"

"Cass!"

"Foxx has wanted her to help the King for weeks now! He ain't gonna stop her, and he definitely won't help us get money out of the man!" She groaned. "She's made her choice Veronica. I'm going back inside."

"We don't-"

"We aren't her keeper! We can't-"

"You ladies, okay?"

Both women jumped, and Vulpes pushed a smile into the side of his mouth.

"Jesus Foxx! Need to get you a Brahmin bell or something!" Cass exclaimed. "Like a fucking Nightkin sneaking around like that!"

"I didn't mean to sneak up on you. Just came to see-"

"You were with Jude!" Veronica interrupted, "Where is she?"

"Heading towards the Kings. And very pissed. Everythin' okay?"

"We'll go get her. Thanks-"

He held out his hands, stopping Veronica in her tracks.

"I'm only tellin', so you don't go running around like idiots. She didn't look happy after your little talk. I don't want to sound like I'm meddling but if she's stormed off something's happened. And if you two showing up is only going to piss her off more-"

"It-"

"Oh no! You hear that, Veronica? _Jude_ ain't _happy_." Cass couldn't have said it with any more venom even if her mouth had been dripping with it. "I'll be tossing and turning all night just with worry cause _Jude_ ain't fucking _happy_!"

Veronica rolled her eyes. "We didn't mean to piss her off-"

"I fucking did! I ain't tiptoeing around her anymore! Especially when she's being an idiot!"

Vulpes felt his eye twitch.

"Can you shut up!" Veronica snapped. Cass for once looked surprised at the outburst, her shoulders sinking.

"No." She grumbled and took another drink but didn't say anything else. Veronica groaned in frustration.

"Guess you've heard about the whole thing with the King?" She asked.

"Of course. I'm the one who told Jude about it."

"Fucking knew it!"

"Cass!"

He did his best to keep his expression neutral and crossed his arms.

"Do you have a problem with it?"

Veronica looked nervous to say, biting back the words. "Don't you think maybe she should-"

"Get fucking paid this time." Cass interrupted. "Instead of constant charity work?"

He sighed. "The thing with the King's isn't a regular job. It could-."

"Help all of Freeside and NCR. Fuck, _you_ the one who fed her that line?" Cass asked.

He grinned. "No. But glad to know we're on the same wavelength."

"You two are never _off_ the same wavelength." Cass sneered. "Funny. Just been since you started hovering around."

"Cass."

"You been putting this shit in her head or something? Her only _'job'_ is to find Benny. Ain't up to her to sort this King shit out. The Mojave ain't her's to fix."

"She was fixing it way before I showed up and you know it. In her nature to help people, and you two are actively trying to stop her."

Cass just laughed. "And you're...what? Helping her by making her get involved in political bullshit she's got nothing to do with?"

"I know you guys are her friends, but you aren't the only ones looking out for her."

"But-" Veronica tried to say.

"She has a bigger part to play in the Mojave than you give her credit for." He said, softening his voice. "Let her play it."

Cass stepped up to him. While taller than the Courier she was still shorter than him, letting him smirk down at her, wondering if she really would throw the punch she so wanted to throw. It would only add to his day. Another friend who's line to the Courier was beginning to fray.

"You fu-"

"It's funny really." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "She keeps calling you her friends, and yet all any of you ever seem to do is make her feel like shit." He grinned at Veronica and as he hoped her face collapsed into confusion as if he had said something in Latin. A deep frown sat heavy on her brow, but she couldn't get any words out to counter what he said. Just stuttering.

"Hey that ain't fair," Cass argued and put a hand on Veronica's shoulder, but the scribe barely registered it, too far away in her head. "You fucking know she's soft!"

"What?" Veronica turned to Cass, her voice on the verge of tears. "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't start! You're just soft! You give a shit is all! And he knew it would hurt you saying you're hurting Jude!"

"You saying I'm pathetic?"

"No! Just-"

"You can think and say whatever lies you want about me, Cassidy." Vulpes interrupted. "Jude will head back when she's ready."

When his back was turned, he couldn't stop the wolf-like grin spreading across his face.

"Asshole!"

He didn't find the Courier outside the School of Impersonation by the time he got there, but enough of the members were muttering among themselves about her for him to be sure she had made it. There were usually three groups of four outside at any given time, keeping watch for anyone trying to get inside or keeping their eyes on what was going on, making them handy tools for anyone wanting information. The King's School was a prime location, situated on the main street, so those standing outside ended up seeing and hearing everything the happened in Freeside one way or another. Vulpes saw them as the King's unofficial spies but knew the King was too soft to ever give his men such a title. Yet that didn't stop him asking them what they had heard while standing there or encouraging them to keep their ears to the ground for anything significant.

"Foxx! You finally showing your face here again!" One of the men called out to him, laughing as if he had told a funny joke. Vulpes racked his mind for a name, but he found it was harder with the Kings as it was like looking into a hall of mirrors. Men of various skin tones with their dark hair slicked back. He found he could recall them more readily if they had something setting them apart, like a scar or different hair style, but the Kings was a gang that prided themselves on all looking identical. Leaving Vulpes with a sea of look alikes he could never name.

Another white man with a strange scar on his forehead - sure he was called Eddie - snorted. "Yeah, was startin' to think you didn't like us no more. Heard you been hangin' out at the Wrangler."

The third one, a black man with shorter hair than the others, nudged his friend. He was new. Vulpes couldn't place him at all.

"Cause he's been eying up that Courier broad ain't it? Word's got around you've been hanging around her like flies to shit."

Vulpes shrugged, his hands stuffed in his pockets and a knowing grin on his face. When Caesar finally took over the hell hole, at least there would be some people that may be of use to him among the reclaimed.

"No idea what you're talking about boys." He winked. "Guessing she's here?"

"She certainly knows how to make an entrance, don't she? Storming in here like that? She's with the boss, I think. If she got past Pacer, that is. You know how he can get wif him."

Somehow Vulpes didn't expect Pacer to be an issue for Jude and sure enough, Pacer stood alone at the door, peering in through the small circular window at what was transpiring in the next room.

"I didn't know you could listen in through walls," Vulpes said, making him jump. "Neat trick."

"Who the-! Oh. It's you. Finally, showing your face again? We good enough all of a sudden?"

"Aw Pacer. Didn't know you cared." He mocked and winked at the man.

Pacer flushed red but gritted his teeth. "Don't mock me, asshole. And you can't go see him right now. He's busy with the Courier broad."

Vulpes cheek twitched. "The Courier? She finally decided to pay her respects?"

Pacer huffed. "That's what she's claimin' but I don't believe a word of it. The King has been good to her for weeks but not a peep, and suddenly she comes sauntering in out of the blue when those folk get hurt? No...something is up, and I don't like it."

"Yet you left him with her? Alone?"

"He ain't alone. He's got his guards."

Vulpes glanced through the window and saw the King and the Courier at a small table near the stage. His stomach twisted and jaw tensed. The King leaned towards her, smiling like the cat who got the cream and Jude seemed just as interested.

With his slicked-back hair and chiselled features, the King was what all the members of the Kings aimed to be. It was as if he had been cloned from the man, Elvis, himself and out of all of the men in the gang, he was the only one who really pulled off their signature look without it looking somewhat goofy. However, it was less that he looked good in the style and more he made it look good. Something Jude no doubt notice from the grin on her face. On him, it just seemed like how he should be and how he'd always been. Anything other than the white suit jacket and the black hair slicked into the Elvis bouffant hairdo just wouldn't be the King. Vulpes had also spent enough time around the King to know how the man operated and what the look he was giving Jude meant. It set his teeth on edge and he could feel his nails digging into his palm. However, Jude didn't appear to be minding the attention. She leaned in close to the gang leader, looking up through her lashes and leaning forward.

_Looks like she's found her new-_

He shoved down the burning fire and turned to Pacer.

"She certainly is pretty ain't she?"

Pacer shrugged. "I didn't notice."

Vulpes would have rolled his eyes. Of course, Pacer didn't notice. She wasn't his type.

"Well, the King certainly thinks so don't he?" He stepped aside as Pacer looked in at the scene and almost immediately, a cloud went over the man's face.

Vulpes glanced back at the scene. He dug his thumb harder into his palm.

_Cover the King in pitch and set him alight._

"Nothing more dangerous than a pretty woman," Vulpes said. "Except a pretty woman in control of a powerful man."

Pacer gritted his teeth and swore under his breath.

"Fine! Go in," Pacer said, his voice low. "You don't have to keep talkin' to convince me."

"No idea what you're talkin' about-"

"Go on in and make sure he keeps his head." Pacer spat. "You're good at that."

Vulpes smiled. "I'll do my best."

He sauntered into the room, pushing open the door loud enough to knock the King and Courier out of their conversation. Not missing his hand on her knee.

_Shove him on a pike and watch him choke on his own blood._

He would have been lying even to himself if the sight of her face lighting up when she saw him didn't fill his chest with pride. She smiled wide and turned away from the King to Vulpes like she already belonged to him, and he was just coming to claim her back.

The King stood, his arms outstretched and the widest smile on his face. "Foxx! You old dog! Ain't this a heck of a change?" He enveloped him into a hug, clapping him on the back which Vulpes returned in kind but before Vulpes could do anything else his hat was removed from his head. The King smiled and placed it on the table. "Just before Rexy there notices it."

The King's cyber dog lay asleep at Jude's feet, rousing with the noise.

"Y'know I was startin' to think somethin' bad had happened to you." The King continued.

Vulpes gave a thin-lipped smile. "Afraid I'm still among the livin'. Hey Jude." He winked. Jude smiled at him, knowingly.

"Heya Foxx. Funny seeing you here?"

"Ain't it just. Am I interrupting something?"

_Better not be._

The King shook his head and sat back down as if the very thought of Foxx interrupting was ridiculous.

"Not at all! Not at all! Just askin' our new friend for a small favour. In fact..." he eyed Vulpes up and down. "The job would likely go better if you went along with? Make it more believable? What you think, kitten?"

Vulpes eye twitched.

_Kitten?_

She grinned. "I don't think I need supervision. I'll be fine."

"Not saying you do kitten." The King said. "Just that lot of the folk we get showing up in Freeside are couples. Newlyweds from NCR country thinkin' Freeside's some safe neighbourhood 'cause it's beside the Strip. Then they walk in and it don't seem so wholesome no more. Orris seems to be snapping them up faster than they arrive. If you two show up together claiming to be NCR, he's less likely to question you."

Vulpes watched her face as the King spoke and saw how her face got warmer at the mention of faking marriage. How she glanced at him and looked away when she saw he was still looking at her.

_Can you just fuck her already and get this over with?_

The thought threw him. The voice rough and gravley, sounding like his Lords Caesar's and not his own.

He swallowed hard.

"I'm okay with it." Vulpes said. She looked at him as if he'd just admitted his real name in front of her. "If you are, of course."

She shrugged and stood. "Fine by me. Let's get-"

Vulpes laughed and stopped her in her tracks.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You won't fool anyone dressed like that." He said. "Everyone knows of the Courier in the Vault suit by now. Even Orris. And most NCR newlywed's don't dress in vault suit's."

She looked down at herself, looking confused.

"I'm starting a new trend?" She offered.

"He ain't wrong, kitten." the King said.

Vulpes rolled his shoulder and swallowed hard, trying to relieve some of the tension in his jaw and neck.

_Beating him with the chair would help._

With the King behind her, she shared a look with Vulpes and rolled her eyes. His chest squeezed and a smile spread across his face that he quickly suppressed.

_What the hell-_

"What do you fella's recommend then?"

Vulpes looked her up and down, and a beautiful idea crossed his mind. She didn't look the part of a tourist at all, but he knew exactly what would help.

"Those ladies of yours must have left something in her size kicking about?" he asked the King.

The King smiled and shouted behind them. "_Pacer_!"

By the time they had put the plan into action, it was too late for Vulpes to realise he had made a terrible mistake.

"Why did no one tell me dresses were so comfortable!" She whispered to him. "It's almost like wearing nothing! So breezey!"

He refused to look down again. Seeing Jude standing at the door of the School in that blasted dress had hit him like a nuclear bomb. So feminine. So weak. Like a little lost bird pottering around looking for its nest. Then she had looked up at him with a soft smile as if seeking his approval and it had nearly sent him walking out of the door. He'd rather that than her seeing him grovelling like a boy at her feet.

_Or between her legs._

It only got worse when she took his arm, his mind was lost in the heat. In thoughts of her and that look. Of her eyes.

They had walked around from the East Gate, all to ensure the believability of their story. The entire way he'd had to deal with her hand in his as she wished they could have taken the King's cyber dog with them.

"Poor thing looked so sad. Wish I could help him." She had said.

Vulpes had just nodded in reply, trying not to focus on her hand in his.

More of the King's men hung around outside the North Gate, but they didn't pay Vulpes or Jude any mind. Two tents sat pitched alongside the road, and a lone Brahmin beside them, tied to a wooden stake. Folk often hung around outside to flog their wares yet Vulpes couldn't see any owners.

Jude continued. "Though what are these women wearing when they leave if they're leaving there dresses with him? Do they just wander around naked? Do you think he's into that kind of stuff?" She laughed but Vulpes didn't find it as funny. His jaw throbbed, and his teeth felt tender but he didn't unclench his mouth. He needed the tension. Something to stop him saying the first things coming to his mind. Not that it had been helping much.

"I'm sure if you ask him he'd be happy to give you a personal demonstration," Vulpes said, through a pained smile, focusing ahead.

Jude smiled back, her brow marred with confusion.

"You look like you're kidding but your tone says otherwise." She laughed. "Don't tell me you're jealous of the King now?"

He scoffed. "Of the King? Hardly."

"Then why can't you look at me when you say it?" She countered. A soft laugh bubbled from her lips. "I knew my face was scary but didn't think I was that bad."

He grunted and relented, looking at her and he regretted it immediately. He hated to admit it, but she fit the dress as if it had been made for her. It accentuated her 'assets' that her blue jumpsuit did a lot to hide and he decided it was for the better she wore the jumpsuit, even if it did look ridiculous. The dress was even blue but in a softer powdered tone that still made her hair look like soft golden flames. She hadn't forgotten about her hair either, pinning it like something from the Old World magazines and when he had seen her, he had almost thought he'd stepped back in time.

He grunted.

_Four hundred and fifty-one. Four hundred and fifty-two. Four hundred and fifty-three._

He rubbed his face, then it was as if what she said finally clicked in his brain.

"You seem rather concerned with the thought of me being jealous." He said, stepping closer to her. Jude rolled her eyes.

"I just don't want you feeling jealous over nothing." She explained, keeping her back straight.

He grinned down at her and stroked her face with the back of his hand.

"So are you saying I have no reason to be jealous because I have no competition?"

Her face went from red to ghostly pale. She opened her mouth to say something but only incoherent sounds whimpered out.

"I...um...ah-"

He snickered, trailing his thumb over her bottom lip. She shivered and he slid his other hand into her hair. "There's only been one thing on my mind since you stepped out in that dress…" He leaned in, feeling her breath on his mouth. "Would you like me to show you?"

She glanced at his lips then back to his eyes and a playful smirk pulled across her face. He felt a ghost of her on his mouth, setting every inch of him on fire.

"Don't go teasing me now...Mr Foxx." She whispered.

He grinned. The fire ached him to move but the look in her eye was dark, like a wolf watching prey from afar and waiting to see what it did next. He wasn't going to be the one to snuff the look out, not just yet. If she wanted their little game to continue, he'd keep playing. For the time being.

"Can't make any promises." He said, trailing his thumb across her face and enjoying how she grinned. "But I do have a very important question for you," He whispered into her ear.

"What might that be?" There was an edge to her voice, the bravado slipping.

Vulpes slipped his hand into his pocket and whispered; his voice low. "Will you marry me?"

A gasp caught at the back of her throat. She stepped back and looked at him confused, her mouth open as if stuck.

"W-wha-"

He couldn't have smiled wider at her, holding up the silver ring the King had given him as a prop.

"Can't be a newlywed couple without one." He winked at her and she shrunk, turning bright red. It was like day and night. From the seductress to the soft woman she was. She pressed her lips together, afraid to incriminate herself any further.

_Afraid she would have said yes to you?_

Now wouldn't that be funny.

_And you running off with her? Away from Caesar's control._

Vulpes shoved the thought away. Not knowing where it had even come from.

"Thought you would never ask." Despite her grin, her voice trembled. Before she could take the ring he caught her hand, slipping it on.

As he did, he sucked in air through his teeth as if he had bad news. "You know...this means we're really married now, right?"

Jude gave a sad laugh, playing with the ring on her finger.

"I trust you, Foxx. You know that, right?"

Vulpes would have laughed if he hadn't wanted to see where she was leading. He did know it, and he found it almost sad that he was the one she found herself trusting out of everyone she kept company with. If it weren't so funny that was.

"Of course."

She squeezed his hand. "And I never want to lose that. Do you understand?"

A wide smile pulled across his face.

It's almost too beautiful.

He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed the finger with the ring, feeling the cold metal against his lips.

"I do."

She breathed out in relief. "Good. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." He grinned. "Remember to make this believable. And try to leave any big lies to me."

"Why?"

Vulpes laughed. "Cause you're a terrible liar."

Behind the Freeside gate, it was as if someone has switched Jude's settings. The different shoes - a pair of mary-janes - had already added a seductive sway to her walk he hadn't failed to notice on the way. She no longer walked with the confidence her gun brought, but with a swing in her hip and an elegance he didn't know she was capable of. With the addition of her old-world smile spread across her face, she was the very image of a woman before the war on her way to the sparkling Vegas strip.

Inside, the main gate was oddly quiet for midday. Most were down at the Wrangler and market side of town getting daily chores done. Most found no need to be up near the Mormon Fort unless hurt or cared about the Followers and there weren't many in Freeside who strayed away from indifference. Several guards stood at the gate, ready for hire but looking bored out of their minds. Three of which were the King's boys.

Vulpes couldn't help but feel the entire job was going to be a lesson for Jude, in the King's hypocrisy. The King getting angry at another man stepping on his territory wasn't out of the norm, but Vulpes didn't have a lot of hope for Orris being anything worth defending either. Being a bodyguard in Freeside was the equivalent of someone becoming a Brahmin hearder because they lived on a Brahmin farm. Even if he was managing to swindle the others, just because one hearder manages to outwit another, it didn't make them any less a Brahmin hearder.

In the end, Orris had chosen one of the easiest jobs for an effortless way to earn caps in Freeside. However, Vulpes could agree that something was off with just how much repeat business he got. Vulpes couldn't recall one time that the man had come back from a job with anything but shining armour or whither he had gone to the Fort for treatment. It was as if Orris was untouchable, and just one look was enough to know there was no reason it should be the case. There were unusually giant rats that could take him never mind a gang of Freeside thugs.

Orris sat on a small stool at the end of the line of for-hire guards and tried to make it evident he was eyeing them up. A cigarette hung from his fingers. It was a filthy habit everyone in the Mojave seemed to take part in, filling the air with a terrible stench and yet it made Vulpes fingers itch for the pack in his pocket.

Orris was a ragged looking man despite his shining armour, with ratty hair and a goatee that looked as if he trimmed it in a dirty mirror. Even if he hadn't seen him smoking he would have been able to tell from the state of his nails, yellow and hard as if they would pick off like a bad scab.

"Which way is it hun?" Vulpes almost didn't reply, not even recognising the tone but Jude smiled up brightly at him. "The entrance to New Vegas must be 'round here someplace?"

Her voice was higher, and everything sounded unsure and questioning. It reminded Vulpes of the high society women he had come into contact with in Vegas. Many spotting him from across the bar and making it their mission to have him in their bed by the night's end as if they were the ones playing him and not the other way round. Yet he couldn't imagine many hanging around the Wrangler giving Jude tips on how to act like them.

Vulpes looked around, falling into the familiar caricatures of NCR citizens he would find bumbling around the Waste. Slack-jaw and dim-witted, he was always surprised they had even managed to make it to the Mojave without shooting a foot off. Not that he minded, just made them that much easier to fool into talking and into following him all the way to Cottonwood cove.

"Fella at the site said we just head straight. Can't be that far." He said.

"Further than you think," Orris said. He threw the cigarette to the ground and stood as if his armour was heavy and the day had been long and hard for him. Yet it didn't have a mark marring it. The bodyguard grinned wide as he eyed the both of them up, looking as if he just won a jackpot. His teeth a brilliant yellow. "You both just get into town?"

Vulpes pulled Jude closer, his arm around her shoulder. "Yes, sir. On the way to Vegas for our honeymoon."

Orris whistled. "Honeymoon? Lucky man! And woman, of course."

Jude beamed. "Oh, I know I am."

"Got any recommendations?" Vulpes asked.

Orris grinned. "Partner and I went to Vegas for our honeymoon as well. Personally, I think Chairman have the better place. More laid back and the fella's there ain't nothing but helpful,-"

Jude's grip on his hand got tighter and he squeezed back, "but Lewis always has had better taste than me so he liked the White Gloves. I always get the heeby-jeebies around them myself. Would recommend it though if you're looking for somewhere fancy."

"That does sound right up someone's alley." Vulpes smiled down at Jude who elbowed him and made a face like a playful child.

"I am not that picky! Picked you didn't I?"

"Good point."

"Well ain't the two of you as sweet as a box of Sugar Bombs?" Orris laughed. "Here's another recommendation cause you both seem like good people. Don't cross Freeside alone. Place ain't as safe as it used to be. Folk are looking out for tourists to jump for caps. Wouldn't want you two to end up at the wrong end of a tire-iron."

Jude clung to Vulpes arm. Her face twisted in fear.

"That doesn't sound good."

"We'll be fine, sweetheart. Don't worry."

"But we don't know the area. What if we end up taking a wrong turn?"

"It's easy done in Freeside I'm afraid. If you want, I can take you across."

Vulpes narrowed his eyes. "How much?"

"Two hundred caps will get you my watchful eye all the way to the New Vegas gate."

Vulpes pursed his lips together and looked down to Jude. "It's a lotta caps _kitten_."

She dug a nail into his palm. "Ain't nothing compared to us making it there alive." She argued.

"Maybe one of the others are a little cheaper?" He questioned, but Orris was right on him.

"You go cheap you get cheap service. No one will keep you safer than I will, and the lady is right. Price ain't nothing for keeping you alive."

"Please?" Jude begged, looking up at him through her lashes. His mouth went dry, and his mind shifted to very dark places. Of her tied to a bed...begging him.

He cleared his throat and sighed as he slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out the bags of caps the King had given them. "Two-hundred?"

Orris took the caps happily, and once he had confirmed the right amount was there, he took them off, walking briskly down the main street. Jude squeezed Vulpes hand and leaned into his ear.  
"Not bad for a bad liar, huh?"

No. No, it wasn't.

It was about an hour walk between the North and South gate at a regular pace. At Orris' pace it was likely they'd get it done in forty. He chatted as they walked, telling them of the Mormon Fort, the Wrangler, the Market, the Silver Rush and Ralph and Mick's pawn shop. His stories were few and far between due to the distance between the Fort and even the Wrangler. Instead, he filled the rest of the time with tales from other jobs; where they turned south, and he swooped in to save the day and the lives of his clients.

"So don't you worry!" He assured them. "I'm here if anything happens and I have a one hundred per cent success rate!"

Vulpes and Jude shared a look and both held back a smile.

Somehow neither were as confident as him.

Further down the main street, Freeside turned to squatter territory, for those who just had nowhere else to go. Vulpes had thought House would secure Vegas by keeping such lowlifes out. Yet, his Securitrons did nothing unless provoked which some of the more desperate locals tried. The problem of Freeside was one Vulpes had trouble understanding. House could solve it with a click of his fingers, killing every single man, woman and child who called the neighbourhood home and yet he chose to do nothing about it. He tried to find the symbiotic relationship between them, but there wasn't anything Freeside did to help. It wasn't even enough to call it parasitic. Freeside took nothing from Vegas, and he couldn't see what Vegas took from it. Despite being connected, they were worlds apart.

It would all change when Caesar arrived. Cleansed it.

"Nothing so far." Jude whispered and tugged his arm to get him to bend his head down. Perhaps it was just in his mind, but he was sure her lips kept grazing his ear, setting that fire deep within him alight. Yet, she would always carry on as usual and definitely not as if she had just tried to give him a hard-on. Vulpes leaned into her ear, very tempted to let his teeth pull at her soft, warm skin.

"If he's up to anything, he won't go too far out before pulling something off."

Her skin prickled, and he felt her hold back a shiver.

"Better not. Don't like the idea of walking back from the gate to the School in these shoes."

"Should try the look more often. It suits you."

"Don't get many occasions to wear a dress like this in the Wastes."

"Want me to give you one?" He asked, grinning wide as she turned red and sucked on her bottom lip. The sight almost made him groan.

He bit down on the inside of his mouth till it bled. The lust was becoming ridiculous. It was as if he were a dog in heat, desperately rutting at the mere sight of a viable female.

He swallowed a mouthful of blood.

She tugged on his arm, and for a moment, he questioned if he should lean down or not. He didn't want to feel her mouth against his skin, or he'd risk taking her up against the wall. She tugged again, and he could see from the look on her face he would want to know what she was going to say. Her bottom lip was pulled back by her teeth and brows taut, yet her eyes seemed distant, busy thinking about something far away.

He gritted his teeth and leaned in, this time sure her lips grazed his ear. Soft and warm and wet from where she had bitten them.

"You were really being serious?" She whispered. "When you said you were jealous of Boone before?"

Vulpes paused, then laughed. "You saw what I did to his nose. What do you think?"

She frowned at him. "You did that cause he hit you first not cause you were jealous."

"You sure?" He winked. She frowned even harder, making him snicker.

They had been walking with Orris for twenty minutes. He had expected the man to pull something sooner to keep them on the path, but the gangs they had passed seemed indifferent. If Vulpes had paid for the service, he would have felt cheated with how little Orris had done. Even a blind man could tell the locals were ignoring them not because of a fear of Orris like he had been making out, but out of disinterest. Those who took to robbing tourist knew better than to attack any odd couple. While the two of them were dressed better than most in Freeside, they had seen better and knew better wouldn't be far behind.

It wasn't until they got to around the centre of the neighbourhood that Vulpes noticed the suspicious gang up ahead. Gathered around cars and trucks that had been near vaporised before the war or stripped for parts after. He caught Jude's narrowed eyes. She squeezed his hand.

"Wait." Orris said and held out his hand. "I don't like the look of some of those men up ahead. Let's take another way around."

Vulpes didn't need to see his little performance to know how rehearsed it was. It poured from every syllable like a child practising a play. Awkward and stilted and as if he had never told a lie in his life, but with the confidence, only a young person or a profound idiot could have.

He directed them off onto a smaller road that circled back onto the main street. Jude pulled on Vulpes hand and slowed down enough to let Orris continue in front.

She dropped the socialite mask. A scowl deforming her face and seeming incongruent with the rest of her. Like rust defacing a shining new blade. She gripped his hand too tight and her shoulders where squared. Vulpes wondered about the safety of his own arm in her grasp. He had seen her snap those of men larger than himself for less than just giving her a fright. Yet it would be interesting to see how she reacted if she was the one to have injured him though. His mind wandered to what she would consider appropriate compensation for his trouble. If it involved her in nothing but a slip-

"Keep your eyes peeled." She said. "I don't-"

Orris bolted forward, and the thought that he had heard them flashed through Vulpes mind. Jude reached for where her gun would sit only to find nothing. She cursed under her breath and grasped him tight, pulling him along as she ran after him.

Three gunshots ran out. The attackers fell one after another. All four of them. The same men from before falling to the asphalt like a woman feigning being light-headed and afraid the ground would really hurt.

Orris looked back at them, smug and ready for his praise.

Jude tried to let go of his hand, but Vulpes gripped it tight.

"Everything okay, buddy?" Vulpes called.

"Nothin' to worry about! Now if you had hired one of those other hacks you'd be up to your ass in lowlife right now!"

The schpiel sounded far too rehearsed, like Hadrian performing to the wrangler crowd through the heckles.

Jude made a sound beside him as if pondering. Her hand at her mouth and brow pulled down. "Was sure I only heard three shots yet there are four guys? How'd you managed that?" She asked sweetly, giving Orris her big smile.

Vulpes gritted his teeth and dug his nails into his palm he had stuck in his pocket. Orris didn't seem to notice the sweet smile though, a nervous one of his own twitching on his lips.

"Oh...you um...noticed that did you?" He laughed. "Well, I um… I just keenly aimed one of the shots through some soft tissue of one of them to hit the man behind him." His smiled solidified, but before Jude could question him, he turned his back on her. "Let's keep moving. Still got aways to go!"

Vulpes glanced at Jude, who appeared to believe it as much as he did. Orris walked off without looking back as if afraid if he did another question would be asked. He soon disappeared from sight behind the large old-world vehicle.

"You see anything...Foxx?" She looked around for him, rubbing her hand that had been holding his. Vulpes knelt beside one of the men and motioned for her to keep quiet. At the sight of him, she breathed in relief. He held back a smile.

While her trust in him was nice the need she had for him was so much sweeter. Seeing her tick with him only steps away was only matched by him finding her writhing in pain that morning. A gift he was sure would keep on giving in the future.

_Maybe time to leave? See how she does alone?_

A pit dropped in his stomach.

He pressed his teeth together till his jaw burned. His report to Caesar _was_ passed due, and a weeks distance would be a good test for the Courier. It was something worth considering.

A test for the Courier.

Up close, it was clear the man wasn't even almost dead. There wasn't a scratch on him, not even one from falling to the ground and he hadn't stumbled upon many corpses that could breathe.

Vulpes laughed.

"_Aaron_?" Jude exclaimed, sounding furious. She leaned over one of the men looking confused and kicked him as hard as she could in the ribs.

"Ow! What was-! Shit!" The thug scrambled to his feet. He looked around with panicked wide eyes.

Vulpes sighed and stood. "Was just about to tell you they were faking it. You know this guy?"

Jude's face was distorted in anger. One by one the others three jumped up to help their friend, one ready for a fight but Aaron shook his head wildly at him.

"What the hell are you doing, Aaron?" Jude demanded.

One of the thugs had the same feeling as Jude but for different reasons, shouting. "Aaron, what the hell?"

"No, no, no!" Aaron yelled to his friends then back to Jude. "Misunderstanding miss! I didn't know it was you miss!" The man's affect was unusual. Like that of a child despite looking like a man.

Vulpes narrowed his eyes and tried to place him, but his face didn't fit anywhere, and he wondered what he could have possibly done to warrant Jude's rage or where there had been a time Jude had met a man alone.

He bit the inside of his mouth, tasting blood again.

"Thought I told you no more gang shit!"

"I know but- I-"

"No, buts!"

"Who are you? His mother?" The same mouthy one asked. His skin was covered in rough patches and scarring, making him appear older than he likely was. There was little definition to his arms or any part of him, making him seem like an amorphous shape in human form. "Got a good gig going here!"

Jude ignored him and continued approaching Aaron, who kept dodging out of her grasp. "You could all have a safer one with the Followers! No more helping Orris or any gangs in Freeside for that matter!"

"Who the fuck do you-"

"Can you shut up!" Aaron said to his friend. "That's the _Courier_! Just _listen_ to her okay?" The man looked desperate for his friends to listen and terrified to look Jude right in the face.

At the mention of the 'Courier', the other boy's turned grey. The mouthy one looked at Jude as if she were a Deathclaw or Yaoguai ready to rip them apart.

Vulpes couldn't stop himself grinning from ear to ear.

She stood before them, an old-world beauty with the expression of a Deathclaw. Even without a weapon in hand, the men trembled as if she would make one appear from nowhere or believing she must have one hiding somewhere on her. The Courier wouldn't be so stupid as to make herself an easy target after all. Yet she had. Because she trusted _him_ to protect her.

She stood before four grown men, in nothing but a dress and yet they trembled before her all because of stories they had heard.

It was beautiful.

"Oh...um...look we….we don't want no trouble, Courier."

"Then I'd listen to your friend." Jude warned, her voice low, then turned back to the man. "Go back to the Followers Aaron. And stay out of this gang shit."

"S-sure thing miss!" And he ran off down the main road like he was motor powered.

"We'll go with him." The other three said, then they were off like a shot after their friend.

Jude still looked furious when they left, breathing heavy and groaning in frustration.

"Friend of yours?" He asked, unable to take his eyes off her.

"A little shit I helped get out of trouble. Promised me he'd go straight if I gave him some caps, but he must have just blown through them and went right back to...fuck I'm a fool. Veronica and Cass were right everyone just takes advantage and I-"

Vulpes grabbed her by the arms. "They stood and trembled at the _sight_ of you, yet you believe you are the fool?"

"I gave them two thousand caps I'd say that was pretty foolish."

"You gave a stranger two thousand caps?"

"Don't look at me like that I know it was-"

"Hey! Where the hell did you two go?" Orris called.

Jude met Vulpes eyes. Wild and panicked and a million thoughts flitting through them in a second. But then in a flash the mania was gone, replaced with an almost eerie calm.

"Ju-"

She grabbed him by the collar and pulled herself up to meet his lips. She kissed him as if she were afraid to even leave a mark which made him want it to do nothing more than bite down and leave her soft, tender lips bruised and bleeding. Her hands slipped from his collar up to his hair and a soft whimper left her mouth.

The sound broke him.

Vulpes grunted, sliding his hands into her silky red hair and pulling her closer. She gasped and he sucked hard, nipping on her bottom lip. Her tongue met his and he couldn't stop the guttural rumble into her mouth. Her lips tasted even better than she did in his mind, the faint hint of sarsaparilla on her tongue. His skin was alight with fire, craving more of her heat as he pushed her back until she hit the back of the truck behind her. A heady moan keened from her throat and he pushed his leg in-between her's, earning him a whimpering gasp and her clawing fingers. One grasping at his jacket to try to pull it off and the other gripped in his hair. He bucked his hard cock against her leg. It was desperate for friction, craving her hand or, even more so, to be buried deep inside her. She didn't pull away but pushed herself into him, rocking her hips. He tried to get as much of her soft and yielding body against him. Every inch of her intoxicating him.

She clung so desperately, clawing at his hair and shoulder as if letting go would mean to stop breathing. He removed one hand from her hair and onto her leg, slipping it up and under the dress she had been teasing him with all morning. He wanted nothing more than to guide two fingers into her warm waiting cunt, or get to his knees and suck on her delicate nub with no care on who would see him. At least then there would be no question regarding who she belonged to.

He left her mouth but didn't leave her skin, trailing down to her neck, leaving hard suckling bites on her soft, warm, sweet skin. She tilted her head back and whimpered against him, making him groan into her.

"I said-oh."

The sound trickled in. It took Vulpes a moment to realise it was Orris, opening and closing his mouth and swaying as if he was unsure if he should stay or just leave them to it. Jude didn't need a moment to choose. Before Vulpes could gather himself, she pushed him back. Her lips were bright red and swollen, and there were already red bites on her neck that would be purple within the hour. Her red hair was back to wild, and he had never wanted to kill a person more.

His fingers twitched for the gun at his hip. Desperate to shoot Orris and get back to his woman but to also just turn it on her.

This was wrong.

He should get back to Caesar. Get back to his work. His purpose.

In a flash, Jude's eyes changed from dazed lust to panicked. Her face turned deep red, and before he could say a word, she slipped from his grasp and pulled Orris away.

An audible guttural sound grumbled from his throat.

_Break Orris' neck but not before covering him in pitch and setting him alight. Then tie his body up upon the Freeside gates._

"We have things to discuss." She said to the stunned bodyguard, her face grim and unable to look at Vulpes.

"I ain't one to judge lady. You-! Hey! Stop yanking!"

She pulled Orris into another side street and it went quiet apart from his own heavy breathing. His blood rushed under his skin that tingled, desperate to touch her again.

To fuck her or strangle her he didn't know. He just knew he needed to touch her again.

Perhaps, she would come back after getting rid of Orris, ready to finish what they started, but they were the thoughts of a man who had too little blood being directed to his brain. Vulpes grunted and leaned against the truck, giving himself a moment.

He had seen the look she gave him as if she had been ashamed of what they had done. She had kissed him yet acted embarrassed after the fact. It would be absurd if it weren't so pathetic. Or perhaps she was only trying to convince herself after the fact but she wouldn't fool him. He had heard how she moaned, felt how she moved. The way her hips bucked into him and hands clawed to pull him closer as if she craved him. He gritted his teeth at the thought, his nails chipping at what was left of the trucks paint job.

He would make her regret walking away from him.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Footnote about continuity:

As you may have noticed (probably not), I'm trying to make the time scales and distances between locations more true to reality than true to the game but in doing that I'm discovering how much the game has been lying to me! Especially in regards to Freeside! Turns out the distance between the real Mormon fort and the approximate location of the gate to the Vegas Strip (where the Stratosphere casino is) would be over an hour's walk away from each other! I'm mentioning this cause I introduce some new world-building in this chapter that doesn't match with what's been mentioned in past chapters. It's because I now realise Freeside would be much larger and very different than in the game. So you'll see that reflected in the future and I'll try to keep it more consistent from this point forward. Most probably wouldn't have cared but I wanted to at least mention it in case anyone noticed :)

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!


	7. Chapter 7 - Devil in Disguise

AN: So sorry for the late update! This one was a pain to get out! Hope you enjoy it! :)

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Vulpes hadn't calmed down, and it only got worse the further down the main street he walked without any sign of the Courier or Orris.

It consumed him like a deadly poison without an antidote, raging through his blood and shrieking at him to just let it all out in the form of unbridled, confused violence. His knuckles were bloody and ripped from hitting the wall until the pain took away from the anger. But Vulpes always found rage to be a cruel mistress, ever needing more to satisfy her hunger.

"Hey! Buddy!" The thug who appeared at his side tried to block his way but Vulpes side-stepped him without a glance and continued ahead, focusing on a spot in the distance. On thoughts of dragging the Courier to the Legion Fort, of her soft sweet neck locked in a bomb collar, of her face as he tightened it in place.

"My friend is talking to you." Another one said from behind. There were three of them in all, each trying to walk in step with Vulpes. They carried tire-irons and bats as if they were intimidating and looked the image of drug-addled locals from Westside. Vulpes clenched and unclenched his fists, his mind filled with thoughts of the Courier in the Fort. The one place she couldn't run from him.

"We just wanna talk, buddy! Can you-"

Vulpes stopped listening. His fingers ached for something substantial, something he could feel break when he hit it. He could hear his heart thumping in his head, feel it pounding the blood through his veins, the very force of it causing the world to spin around him.

He clenched and unclenched his fingers.

_Just kill her. You know that will stop this._

He grunted, grinding his teeth together till he could hear them grate. He couldn't kill the Courier now. She was his Ace in the hole, the wild card in the stacked deck the Mojave had become.

_It would feel _**_so __good_**_, though. _

The crease between his brows deepened.

It would. So good to squeeze the soft, supple skin around her neck and not let go. To see the light fade in those sweet eyes - the colour of the Mojave mountains - as she searched for a sign he had been planning to hurt her. To see her eyes as they pleaded for him to let her go.

And he would.

"Hey! Asshole! I said empty out your-"

One man grabbed his shoulder. Vulpes reached up and seized the thug's wrist and twisted under it, bending it back with him till it was locked straight towards the sky, pushed up as far as it could go. He then slammed it forward with a sickening crack. The thug screamed and dropped his weapon, collapsing to the ground in writhing pain.

Vulpes could have groaned in ecstasy, grinning maniacally as freezing antidote flushed through his veins in a great wave.

The man's friends tried to fight back. Pathetically. Vulpes grabbed the screaming man's tire-iron and beat the second one across the face, blood and teeth spitting from his mouth and spattering over his suit. He pulled back and swung the iron up and under the man's chin. A disgustingly loud crack echoed around the empty street, his jaw jutted out and at an angle like a ghoul whose jawbone hadn't yet fallen off. The man hit the ground with a thud, his eyes rolled back in his skull. Vulpes looked at the final thug before he pulled back his leg and kicked the one on the ground in the head, earning himself another crack through the streets.

The third thug staggered back, unable to look away.

Vulpes laughed, dropping the tire-iron as if it were something dirty.

"Leaving so soon?" Vulpes teased. "I thought you wanted to talk?"

The thug couldn't say a word, stammering as he backed away, unable to look elsewhere as if afraid Vulpes would grab him the moment he did. As if taken by a surge of bravery, he dropped his bat and bolted. Vulpes rolled his eyes and pulled out the pistol on his hip. He fired two shots into each of the thug's legs, the thunderous blasts echoing in the quiet section of the main street. Like a maimed dog, he kept trying to move, pulling himself across the street as if he would manage to getaway. It only made Vulpes laugh again, almost hysterical.

"I really should thank you." He said, slipping the pistol back into his belt. There was a moment of relief in the thug's eyes, slowing down his crawl. Vulpes pulled off his coat, throwing it over the nearby car and pushed up his sleeves. He kneeled over him as they began to scream and yell for help. Vulpes grinned and covered their mouth and nose with his hand, pressing his knee and full body weight onto their chest. He leaned in close, the man bucking and kicking against him but Vulpes strained harder, keeping the pressure.

"I really, _really_ needed this."

-/-/-/-/-/-

Vulpes was grinning wide when he walked into the King's School, much to The King's amusement.

"Well look who the cat...What the hell happened to you?"

Vulpes shrugged. "Got jumped on the way back. Had to deal with them, unfortunately."

The King sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Guessing they ain't kicking anymore?"

Vulpes looked down at his bloodied suit. While his suit jacket had been safe on the car, his pants and shirt hadn't survived. Beating someone to death was never a clean job.

"Does it look like they would be?" Vulpes asked. "Did try and talk them down."

"I know you would." The King said. "I'll get some of the boys to go clean it up."

"Has the Courier been here?"

The King looked confused. "Of course." He laughed. "Why? You worried she's run off?"

Vulpes ground his teeth together, his jaw tight but didn't reply. The King eyed him as he took a sip of his drink, then it clicked. He almost choked. "Jesus Foxx, what did you do that she would rather walk weaponless through Freeside than with you?"

"Nothing important."

The King snorted and reached down to pet the cyber dog at his feet. "I think that sounds like a load of Brahmin shit. What do you think, Rexy?"

Rex barked beside him, wagging his tail happily.

"Well, whatever it was something cheered her up by the time she came in." The King said. "Had a smile on her face that could light up New Vegas for a year. Kept dazin' off to, as if thinkin' of somethin'. You wouldn't happen to know anything that would cause that, now, would you?"

The King eyed him, accusingly, and Vulpes fought to keep his face straight, but the crease between Vulpes brow deepened into a crevasse, his eye twitching as only one name crossed his mind.

The sniper must have reared his ugly head as she made her way back. He could see the exact smile the King spoke of as she saw the mongrel again and how the dog would drool over her as he tried to apologize. How he would watch her chest rising and falling in breathless excitement at his return before 'watching her back' literally, enjoying the same sway Vulpes had admired first.

He heard his teeth creak. It was as if someone was squeezing his head with a vice.

_Bet she loves his attention. Pulls him into an alley and-_

"I should go-"

"If she ran off from you probably best to keep your distance." The King got to his feet with a grunt. "Plus she's over at the Fort, talking to some fellas about being jumped last night. Sure you've heard?"

Vulpes glanced at the door.

"I may have picked up on it."

The King shuffled around at a small bar stocked with bottles of booze, checking the labels as if looking for one in particular.

"Rumour is it's NCR boys. Want to know the truth? I'm prayin' they got so drunk they don't know what happened to them."

"You're hoping they're lying to you?" Vulpes asked.

"Better that than civil war, my friend." He popped the cork from one of the bottles. "Drink?"

Vulpes pursed his lips, looking again at the door then back to the King.

"Sounds great."

He wasn't about to go chasing her around as the mutt did. Like he was some kind of motherless whelp in need of her attention.

"What if they ain't lyin'?" Vulpes offered and sat opposite the King's seat and Rex. The cyber dog perked up and shuffled closer to sniff the blood on his clothes, giving up as Vulpes scratched him behind the ear.

The King sighed. "Then...we retaliate. Only thing for it. I didn't want to believe the rumours that the NCR were wantin' to take over Freeside, but with more and more of them soldier boys showing up every day, it's getting harder to ignore. We can't have them thinkin' they can go around attacking innocent folks like that."

"Can't disagree with you."

The King sat down. "Know you tried to avoid this, but the NCR has been nothing but a thorn in my side since they moseyed on into town. Acting like they're the only thing between us and Legion rule. Like we should be thankful they've stuck their noses into Vegas business."

Vulpes took a sip of his drink. "You need to protect your town. Your people. I understand."

"Yeah. And what a great job I've done so far! That Courier's been runnin' around being the hero this town deserves while I sit back and can't even stop another war from breakin' out. New Vegas needs another conflict like the Mojave needs more sand."

The King ran his hands down his face. He looked greyed out as if all the colour in him had been drained, leaving him as black and white as the old tapes of the man they only knew as 'The King', they watched on the screens. He smiled wide, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"You've been hangin' around her like a bad smell for a while now. Don't look so surprised. I know you've been ditching on our lot for her and her little gang down at the Wrangler. Can't say I blame you. She's certainly is a sight prettier than Rexy and me here. Ain't that right boy?" He reached down to pet the dog getting a happy bark from him.

Vulpes smiled through grinding teeth. "Did you really expect me not to go poking around after the reputation she was making for herself?"

"Of course not. In fact, I hoped you would. Just expected you to come tell me about it before the gal showed up at my door."

"I may have gotten...distracted." Vulpes admitted.

"That's what you're calling it? Don't tell me the Foxx is growing a heart for this one? You going soft on me?"

Vulpes swirled his drink. "Don't be ridiculous."

The King narrowed his eyes then a suspicious grin pulled across his face that Vulpes didn't like. He shrugged and leaned back.

"Well, that's a relief. Don't mind if I take a shot at her then, do you? Bet she's a real firecracker in the bedroom. If you know what I mean."

Vulpes squeezed his glass tighter. Resisting the urge to throw it, he raised it to his lips.

"You put one hand on her, and I'll nail you to a cross myself."

The King spluttered out his drink, choking in laughter. He pounded on his chest to try and clear his airways while in the same breath, gasping out more snickering laughter. Vulpes took a sip of his drink and just watched, lip upturned, but his hand still gripped tight around the glass. Far too tight.

"Now that's one I haven't heard. Think them Legion boys will let you borrow one?" He wiped his eyes. "Almost funny, seeing you this hung up over some broad. Could tell from the moment you walked in."

Vulpes teeth ground together, but he just smiled ahead. "Oh, really?"

He squeezed the glass tighter.

The King leaned forward and patted his arm as if he were an older brother comforting him.

"You may be able to hide how your feeling to everyone else but I know you too well, Foxx. Don't worry, I won't step in. Don't want to mess with your chances." He snickered.

Vulpes laughed with him, a cold icy tone.

He sounded so confident. As if he was doing him a favour by not going after his Courier. As if her head would even be turned if he did show interest.

_She looked plenty interested this morning, fox face._

If he squeezed the glass any tighter, it would break. There were times the voice sounded too much like Lanius with its quips as if haunting him just to laugh at whatever predicaments Vulpes found himself in. Other times it was unmistakably his own voice, snarling from the depths to be heard.

_Break it over his fucking head._

"I'd like to see you try to," Foxx said and downed another swig from his glass.

"Pardon?"

"Mess with my chances? I'd like to see you try."

The King leaned back, a wide grin spread across his face. "Oh, is that right? That cocksure are we?"

"You could say that."

_Break his face._

"You sure you want to play this game with me, Foxx? I won't hold back."

"Neither will I." Vulpes assured him.

Before the King could answer, the door slammed open and in stormed the woman in question like a raging wildfire.

It was as if her body was too small to contain all the rage she was feeling, making it roll off her in waves to affect anyone in a close radius. Every muscle was pulled taut, her shoulders squared and heavy, like she had been carrying the weight of terrible news back with her that only festered and turned to violent rage.

It was glorious.

Either The King didn't notice her behaviour or thought he could talk her down, going with a smarmy, wide grin that under usual circumstances would make Vulpes roll his eyes. However, his smarmy grins weren't usually directed towards his Courier.

Vulpes rolled his shoulders and leaned back, his eyes narrowed as The King shifted in his seat. But Jude was beside him before he could stand, thrusting her finger in his face.

"You _fucking_ knew!"

"What are-"

"I have to hand it to you. You are an outstanding actor! Didn't flinch once as you said to my face you had no idea why the NCR would be targetting people while you fucking knew!"

"I have no idea what you're on about, lady!"

She slammed her hands down on the table, glaring at the King. Vulpes eyes drifted downwards, watching her chest rise and fall erratically and admire the angry shade of red it had become.

He settled into his seat and finished the last of his drink, trying to hide the smile.

_Not a mongrel in sight. _

"What I'm on about is that NCR envoy you got your goons to almost _beat_ to death!"

Vulpes choked. The glass slipped, hitting the ground with a crash.

Jude jerked away from the table as if she was noticing he was even there for the first time. Her expression softened, but in a flash, she shifted back to the shrinking leader, eyes full of fire.

Vulpes couldn't speak. He gripped the table.

_Shit_.

She had only been out of his sight for moments, yet that's all it took. Enough time for the King's to fuck something up.

_Shit_.

He hadn't heard anything, but he also hadn't been keeping an ear out.

Too distracted.

The King had gone silent, his mouth open and eyes searching the ceiling as if they held any answers.

Vulpes slid back to pick up the shattered glass, hiding his face out of view.

_ .Shit!_

He should have beat The King over the head with the glass. Perhaps it would have knocked some sense into him or even better left him unable to fuck anything else up.

Jude slammed her hands again, making Rex growl. "Don't start actin' as if this is a surprise! As if anyone could be beaten up in this town, never mind this building, without you knowin' about it!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Who even told -?"

"The NCR posting here is a relief effort!" Jude interrupted, "Handing out food and water to NCR citizens. _That's_ why the soldiers are hanging around. For protection from _your_ gang! Major Keirnan from the NCR let me know she sent an envoy to you wanting to coordinate relief efforts so everyone in Freeside could get help. Yet your goons went and beat him up! And I wonder where they would get the order from?"

He was going to kill the King and his groupies. Every last one would end up on a cross which was more than they deserved. They had been handed the perfect 'victim' set up. Poor local gang being downtrodden against the big, bad Bear. It was almost too perfect which should have rung alarm bells in Vulpes head, but he had instead just seen the opportunity. They were the ideal teaching tool for Jude, a way to show her NCR cruelty at its finest and how she could 'help' away from NCR control.

But they had just gone and fucked it up.

"Not from me!" The King snapped back.

"Then who?"

"I-" He stopped. "I don't know."

Jude glanced at Vulpes, who placed the broken glass on the table. He narrowed his eyes at the King who sat, fidgeting and not meeting anyone's gaze. Not that Vulpes believed the idiot had it in him to do something as stupid as beat up an NCR envoy. For all his talk of facing off against the NCR, The King always needed it to be justifiable. Always pushed reason and diplomacy. It wouldn't make sense for him to shove that aside just to get his kicks bloodying up some NCR dog.

"Then who was-" Vulpes stopped as it clicked. "No."

There was only one other person that could give an order like that and be listened to. Only one other person who would have the gumption to even attempt to fake an order from the King and expect to either get away with it or be forgiven if found out.

_That slimy, good-for-nothing piece of shit. _

"Foxx." The King fixed his gaze on him, pleading.

"Why do I feel out of the loop?" Jude asked. "If not the King then who?"

The King rubbed his hands down his face. "I don't know."

"Don't fucking lie to me! There's a civil war brewing on your doorstep yet you're going to protect the one responsible!"

The King didn't look at her, but at Foxx. It was pathetic if noble, covering for a friend even in the face of a woman who wasn't afraid to use the pistol on her hip to get him talking.

"Don't make me have to tell her." Foxx said.

She leaned down, trying to catch the King's line of sight. "Whoever it is, clearly didn't think far enough ahead to give a shit about the consequences of their actions and because of that, they've stuck you in the firing line so, while admirable, this loyalty is misplaced. They clearly had no loyalty for you."

"I-" The King pursed his lips as if he has said too much with just that sound. Jude crouched down to eye level, her face pleading.

"They've put Freeside on the brink of a civil war. That ain't loyalty it's foolishness. And if we're going to start fixing it, we need to know what happened and I think we both know it's best I talk to them. The NCR won't believe a word you tell them right now, especially from one of your own men."

"Oh, but they'll believe you won't they? The great NCR hero helping them again." The King snapped. "How do I know this ain't just some set up to make the NCR look good? Sending their favourite scout in to shake up the place?"

Jude jerked back as if she'd been struck. Then a pained, solemn expression washed over her face. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"It's Pacer, ain't it?" She asked Foxx. He nodded.

The King went pale and stood. "This some nonsen-"

"He was protective of you when I first got here. You two are old friends, right? Don't look so surprised. Think I haven't been keeping my ear to the ground for you as much as you have for me? Y'know, part of me didn't think you'd be as protective of him as he was of you though." Jude followed him to her feet. "His is probably out of guilt. From knowing he's thrown you under the proverbial bus! Not like the NCR are going to be blaming him for this. They've already decided you were the one to give the order!"

"There was no envoy! The NCR are lying and-"

"Then Pacer has nothing to worry about! Let's ask-"

The door banged open again, and a King gang member ran into the room, panting. "Pacer."

The King looked panicked. "What have they done to him? Is he okay?"

"He took some guys...started a shoot-out with NCR...Tried to stop him...but he won't listen..." The man gasped in between every sentence, doubled over to rest on his knees.

Jude glared at the King.

"Paying attention yet?"

"Pacer started it?" The King asked, all emotions gone from his voice.

"Yeah. Saw it with my own two eyes."

The King dragged his hands down his face, looking defeated.

"Where?" Jude asked.

"At the old train station. In the slums. He just started shootin' at random NCR folk to get the soldier's attention. Weird man. Pacer's a hot head and all but not that crazy. Don't know why he's being so reckless."

Jude looked to the King, but he was doubled over, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger as if trying to wipe the thought of Pacer doing something so idiotic out of his memory.

Jude swayed on her feet. "I need to-"

"I know you do." The King sighed and looked up at Jude. "Tell the Major we agree to help with the relief effort. And that we're...looking into the envoy incident and we're taking it seriously."

"Are you?"

"Pacer's fucked up here and I ain't going to put the whole of Freeside on the line for him. But I won't hand him over to NCR forces if that's what your askin'."

"Of course not. What happens in Freeside, stays in Freeside."

The King nodded. "Glad we agree. Now go get that idiot back here. Before he hurts someone."

Jude nodded and headed out but stopped in the doorway, her brow pulled down.

"Come on, Foxx! We don't have all day!"

He raised an eyebrow, but his body stood as if by its own accord and followed her out. He didn't miss the way her face flushed the same shade of pink she had been when she ran from him before. His fingers itched to grab her.

_The Fort. Just take her to-_

She led him out of the King's School and marched towards the slums without a word. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, her knuckles almost white.

"I should just kill him." She said. "He's lucky he's in with the King, or he'd be in NCR hands before dusk today. What a fucking idiot. And for them to then go on _whining_ about the NCR being here? As if they didn't know? Idiots!"

"That's one way of putting it." Vulpes grumbled. He yearned for a cigarette, but the last thing he wanted was to hear Jude's complaining about how it wasn't good for him. His mouth was dry, and his throat felt tight. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"One way? What other way is there?" Her expression softened. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He tried to smile, but it felt off and wrong on his face. He couldn't even picture in his mind how it looked to her.

"You believed in them. You wanted to stop an all-out conflict and to find out they've gone and already fire the first shot it...I'd be pissed."

He chuckled but the sound cold. "You _are_ pissed."

"Why aren't you?"

He shrugged. "Never said I wasn't."

"You're hiding it very well then."

"Does that bother you?"

"Yes! The whole thing bothers me! You tried so hard to avoid any of this only to find out that none of it mattered because a couple of idiots decided they knew better!"

The faint rumble of gunfire echoed through the district like a thunder cloud. Jude swore and picked up her pace, darting down the street but pausing at the crossroads, looking lost. He sprinted up to her and pointed her in the right direction and with each block they ran the gunfire got louder.

The entire run there she had her lips pressed tightly together and kept opening her mouth to say something before stopping herself and focusing on her feet again and working on the crease between her brows. Vulpes could almost see the gears turning, her brain trying to make the connections yet the jumps just weren't possible.

At the station, it was a child's gun-fight. Either the Kings and NCR were both doing their best to make non-lethal shots, or they were all terrible with their aim. A couple of King's lay behind cover, gripping injuries and trying not to get hit again. Pacer being one of them.

Jude didn't even notice him. She stormed ahead, through the torrent of bullets towards the NCR side of the field before he could grab her.

"Jude!" He yelled, but she either didn't hear or didn't listen. He didn't know if she was running too slow or if he just thought she was. He could feel his chest squeeze. Along with the burn in his veins, ready to shoot whoever so much as grazed her.

She made it, running around the back of the watchtower, and his breathing steadied.

Pacer had slumped himself against a nearby wall, gripping his arm and leaning on one leg. He looked less than impressed to see Foxx.

"I've got this under-"

"Control? That what you call this mess?" Vulpes snapped. "The King knows about the envoy Pacer."

"No idea-"

Vulpes grabbed his injured arm and squeezed tight.

"Fucking-!" He doubled over as if trying to twist himself out of Vulpes grasp but he didn't let go.

"You may think being The King's little pet third-wheel keeps you safe, but it won't protect you forever."

"Don't...threaten...me...asshole."

Foxx laughed. "Was just some friendly advice. Take it, along with this. Stop huffing Jet when you've got a weak heart. Might just kill you one day."

Pacer turned a sickly shade of grey.

"I...I...I don't-"

The bullets stopped. The surviving, uninjured Kings looked around for Pacer, confused. Vulpes let Pacer go, leaving him to collapse into the dirt.

"Ah! Fucker!" He cried and clutched his leg.

"Fighting's over!" Vulpes called. "Go!"

And like that the shoot out was over, The Kings turning heel back to the School leaving only the stink of gunpowder and blood in the air.

"Well," Vulpes said, "Aren't you going?" He nudged Pacer in his injured leg earning him a cry of pain.

"Fucker!"

"Foxx!" Jude ran into him, clinging to his arm. "Well, that's that sorted! No thanks to you! You idiot!" She exclaimed and kicked him in the same injured leg.

"Fuck you!" Pacer yelled.

Vulpes grabbed Jude's arms, holding her back from doing any more damage. Blood dripped over his hand from a deep wound in her right upper arm where a bullet had skimmed her.

"The King only said to make sure he didn't hurt someone else! Nothing about not hurting him!" She snapped

Vulpes tried to pull her away, wondering if he could rip some fabric of his shirt to help stop the bleeding. "Jude."

"The NCR fucking deserved it! With everything they've done-"

"Like what?" She exclaimed.

"Start a fucking war! Get us involved in it! Fuck with us at every turn to make sure we need them more than they need us so they can take Vegas if they beat Caesar! But Freeside, the Strip, all of it belongs to the people. Not some government, hundreds of miles away, who couldn't give a fuck about us until they want something! They only want to help cause they want Vegas!"

"It still wasn't your choice to make Pacer! If you had problems, you should have talked to The King!"

"You don't think I haven't? But he's too busy pussyfooting around the problem! No one wants to be part of a war, but if I need to start one to protect my people then fuck I'll do it!"

"And who even are 'your' people, Pacer? Certainly not the NCR citizens who have been here for years now! Not the Followers who have been helping you all for nothing! Not me, some fucking stranger who wandered in from the Wastes yet has done more for this town in the last four weeks than you have in years!"

"You-"

"If you gave that much of a fuck about this place you would have fixed it long ago! Instead, you waited till you had some boogeyman to blame for all your problems and had good targets to shoot bullets into! Maybe you'd do better if you spent more time helping the folk round here than spending time scheming to start a civil war!"

With that, she was off down the street, stomping and shaking her head.

"Fuck you!" Pacer shouted. He tried to push himself to his feet but buckled, hitting the ground again. "Don't just stand there! Give me a hand!"

Vulpes laughed, shrugged at the pathetic man in the dirt at his feet and turned heel towards the Courier.

"Asshole!"

Jude had slowed to an angry walk by the end of the block, stomping as she held her arm. Blood dripped from under her fingers and down her elbow, leaving a trail as she walked.

He forced the urge to find the one who did it, down. The impulse to hang them from the Freeside gates and leave them to be discovered by the Followers come morning.

"You were stupid to run into the middle of an active shoot-out." He said.

Jude snapped out of whatever she had been thinking about, and her shoulders eased.

"It just grazed me. Looks worse than it is. Though burning like a bitch. Plus, if I hadn't, they would still be shooting at each other. Foxx!" He ripped the sleeve off his jacket and threw the excess fabric in through the empty window of the nearest collapsed building. "Seriously! It's fine I-"

He glared at her and tied it around her arm.

"It really was fine."

"Not having you bleeding to death before you let the King know you saved his hide." He grinned, tightening it to try to stem the bleeding.

Jude flinched and made a whimpering sound.

"He's lucky I even got through to the Major. She believed me about as much as Caesar would if I showed up one-day offering assistance."

The very image was tantalizing, envisioning the day she finally stood before Caesar, pledging her fealty, ready and willing to serve in whatever way she could. How the NCR wouldn't even think to believe it until she'd already separated their heads from their bodies. A vision that was further away than ever, thanks to the Kings fuck up.

"Surprised she didn't just shoot me herself." Jude continued. She flexed her injured arm, looking pained. "I'm sorry. For shrugging off your concerns about all this as nothing. Maybe if I had been paying closer attention, I would have seen it how you did, and this whole thing could have been fixed before...it...exploded what the hell happened to you?" Her gaze drifting over him and fingers brushing across the bloodstains on his shirt.

"I got jumped on the way back to the School." He said. "Could really have used a bodyguard? Or even just backup would have done?"

She winced. "Sorry. I-I shouldn't have run off like that."

His hands twitched to hold her. They grazed the soft skin of her face and down her neck, tipping her chin up to look him in the eyes.

"That it?"

She leaned into his hand and sighed.

"I think we need to...to...tal-"

Vulpes slipped his hands up to cup her face and leaned in, not taking his eyes off hers as they fluttered closed. He pressed his lips against her own and urged them closer as if it was even possible. It was as if they held the first drop of water he'd had in weeks only for him to discover it wasn't water at all, but dizzying and burning liquor that made his head spin. It dulled his mind and yet he felt twice the size. The fire in Vulpes chest blazed, stoked by the heat of Jude's mouth as he shared in the taste of peppermint on her tongue. It sent wild tremors along his nerves and urged him to go further. To take her as he should have done before Orris interrupted yet he didn't move. It was so much softer than before, but it felt bigger as if the ground itself had faded from under him, leaving them both flying. Her hands gripped his collar, fingers teasing the sensitive skin around his collar bone.

Parting from her was like dousing a vibrant flame in water. Vulpes chest was left empty and hollow, no matter how much air he took in. Jude stared, glassy-eyed and childlike, a faint grin on her lips.

"Don't..." Vulpes whispered, leaning his forehead on her's, "run away from me...again."

She laughed, the sound like twinkling bells to his ears, and kissed him again. A soft, chaste meeting of lips that filled him with heat.

Jude smiled wider than he had thought possible but groaned and leaned her head into his chest.

"Shit."

"I...I can work with that." He teased, but she didn't smile back. Her lips were pressed thinly together, and her face dragged down as if something weighed heavy on her.

"You're planning something." He realized.

"Just been...thinking."

"A dangerous past-time."

"I know." She bit her lip, and something in him pushed him to kiss her again. To nip at the soft, tender skin himself, but he shoved it down. "Do you remember the first night we met?"

"Of course."

"You...You said the King hands out favours to people who help him. Does it need to be something physical or can it be a simple...request of him?"

He didn't need her to elaborate to know where she was going with it. Laughter bubbled from his throat, dry and irritated.

"If it's what I think it is, I wouldn't call it simple."

"It is in the grand scheme of things. How hard can it be to ask them to stop fighting the NCR?"

Vulpes, let his hands fall away from her and caught the flash of hurt in her eyes.

"You will never be out from underneath their heel if you keep running back to them, Jude." He said.

She gripped his arms, flinching in pain as she moved the injured one.

"I know you don't want to pick a side, but _I_ have to do something!" She said, almost pleading. "I can't just stand idly by as the people of Freeside suffer because everyone is too busy waving their dick's around to get anything done! The NCR is the only potential ally Freeside has right now. It's not like House is going to protect them when Caesar comes banging on the gates!"

"If the Legion were at the Freeside gates then Freeside will already have lost. I somehow doubt some Peace Corp layabouts who have found themselves a soft job babysitting the Kings will be what stops the Butcher taking Vegas."

"That isn't the point." She said, her tone clipped.

He stepped backwards and her hand fell away.

"Then what is? Cause I don't believe I see it." He turned and walked off, leaving her unable to react for a moment.

Vulpes didn't rush, waiting for her to call out-

"Go on then! Be...be...pissy I'm doing something you don't like! Everyone else does!" She yelled, her voice getting closer with each step. "Not as if you volunteered to jump in and deal with this! No, you just pushed me to deal with your shit, just like everyone else does!"

He turned sharply back to her only to find she was following too close and barged right into him. She didn't scramble back, instead, staying put and glaring up at him, near all of her pressed against him and that heat burned for her. To taste her again.

"You aren't a fool, so don't act like one!" He snapped. "You made yourself part of the war the moment you _burned_ down Nelson and threatened to cut off Caesar's head. You stepped into the arena. Don't act like you were forced in."

Vulpes walked away again but Jude didn't follow, frozen in place.

"How do you know I said that?" She called.

"What?" He twisted round to find her glaring darkly at him as if she wasn't sure what she was looking at so erring on the side of caution. Each step was slow like she had to think about what she was going to say before she could walk.

"How do you know I threatened Caesar? That part was never in the statement they made. The NCR suppressed it."

Vulpes clicked his jaw and smiled wide. It was a miracle he had gotten so far without saying something stupid, but he wished it could have occurred at any other time.

"Sounds like someone hasn't been suppressing it then if I've heard about it." He shoved his hands in his pockets and met her gaze steadily.

"But they didn't even know what I said. It was in Latin."

That look from the first night at the Wrangler was back, unsure and calculating as if she was so sure she had seen his face from somewhere.

He shrugged. "Seems someone in that group hasn't been honest then. Cause I know where I heard it, and I know where they heard it from."

"Who?"

"And give away my sources?"

"If they've been spreading it around..."

Vulpes shushed her as if she were a fussing child and pulled her into his arms where she stood rigid.

"I'll deal with it." He assured her and laced his fingers into her hair. "You trust me, don't you?"

It took her a moment longer than Vulpes would have liked for Jude to answer, but she did.

"Yeah." She said, melting into his arms like butter in the Mojave sun. "And I should. Sorry."

A sinister grin pulled across his face. "Apology accepted."

Jude sighed into his chest and said, without looking up at him:

"I'm still going to ask the King to stop fighting the NCR. If he offers it."

Vulpes grimaced but didn't voice his displeasure. He wasn't about to hand her reasons to doubt him any further, and pushing an anti-NCR stance was far too risky. It could just be one word, a phrase, and everything he'd been working towards would be lost. One day she would be ready to know the truth, but that day wasn't going to come any time soon at the current rate. He needed to try harder, push harder but in such a way that she wouldn't even notice that she was falling down the wrong rabbit hole until she was already at the bottom.

But eventually, she would be, and she would see just how right he had been.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-


	8. Chapter 8 - See Me Bare My Teeth For You

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Boulder City was even worse than Vulpes remembered.

It was just after midday when he arrived, and his neck itched, his shirt prickling his skin as if hundreds of tiny cactus points had been jagging him ever since he'd taken the miserable garment off some poor schmuck who'd lost a fight to a Radroach on the road down from Henderson. Unlike Vulpes suit, the man's foul shirt was the trapping of a true degenerate, and Vulpes skin crawled at its mere contact with his skin. He shifted the suspenders off his shoulders, letting them hang limp at his waist as he came into sight of the forsaken city, unable to keep the grimace off his face at the desolation around him.

Ghost towns were a typical sight in the Wasteland. Like mirages in the desert, one minute a settlement would pop up - bustling with life and resources - yet just as fast as they appeared the water either withered away or the ore vein dried up, leaving only skeleton buildings and abandoned scraps for the vultures circling above and the shambling feral ghouls who would make the hovels their homes. Boulder had become no different after that day in 2277, an empty shell that ran on NCR fantasies and limestone dust. But with Sloan Quarry taken over by Deathclaws, the limestone stream was shrivelling up. The only things seen in Boulder were NCR troops fresh off the trail from California needing a dose of that NCR dream and Caravan's wanting to recharge at the only functioning store in the city but soon there would be nothing but ghouls and molerats.

The only other soul with him were the ravens, who pecked at the dead dirt as if they would find something of value among the ruins.

It was what Boulder deserved. To Vulpes, it was worth no more than the rubble it had been reduced to, only ever worthy of being flattened to dust and brick, leaving it nothing but a boneyard of NCR bodies and Legion failures.

Graham's failure.

If the city brought back any memory, it was of the old Malpais Legate's face as he walked into the Fort that day, bloodied broken and ragged with the defeat like a millstone around his neck. His expression had been one Vulpes hadn't recognised at the time, and hadn't seen since. Cold and hollow. Resigned almost, yet so unfeeling it was as if he had detached himself from his body.

He didn't scream as he was set alight, or as he was thrown into the Canyon. Vulpes once questioned if it was out of some misplaced pride - the very hubris Caesar had spat and claimed caused the failure - or if it was his attempt to die with what dignity he had left.

Yet his death hadn't removed the wound that was Boulder and ever since that day it had been suffering, left isolated and broken, and resigning itself to its fate and content to return to bones and the dirt from which it was built and where it belonged.

Vulpes would happily oblige its wish.

_If only Graham was as happy to die. Or stay dead._

He shouldered open the door to the Big Horn saloon, music slipping out into the Wasteland.

Rays of midday sun streaked across the bar, hitting all glass bottles just right and scattering prisms across the saloon, yet it seemed so much darker inside. Natural light streamed in through the windows which had endured the chaos around them, but the dark green paint and wood-panelled walls absorbed all light, leaving an oppressive air that the jukebox beside the bar did nothing to lift. The place was more akin to some backwater bar than the Wrangler, which tried it's hardest to be a New Vegas casino outside of Vegas yet at most managed up-town Reno.

The barman faced away, fiddling with bottles and muttering until he heard the bell chime above the door.

"Welcome back to the Big Horn!" He said with more enthusiasm than was warranted for one customer. "What can I get you - you son of a bitch! Where the _fuck_ have you been?"

Vulpes laughed and sat in one of the stools at the bar.

"Good to see you too, _Ike_."

The barman glared at him, his twisted black moustache twitching.

"Is that it? After all this time? And don't even start with the '_Ike_' shit. No one else here but us and the dust mites, _Inculta_." He said as if testing Mars himself to strike him down. "It's bad enough having to wear this fucking thing," he itched his moustache making it shift off-centre, "along with getting my head burnt every time I go outside without a hat cause of this stupid hair cut! But being called _Ike_? Did this guy have any friends Inculta? Like _real_ friends? Or were they all just people who made fun of his name, and hair? Head _and_ facial?"

Vulpes narrowed his eyes but his lips upturned, softening the harshness. Not that Amulius would have taken it seriously if Vulpes had been glaring at him. He was either a surefire idiot, too oblivious to care or notice social cues or his surroundings; or a genius who was very good at acting an idiot and knew precisely what he was doing. The jury was still out on which way it swayed, yet Vulpes bent towards the latter. It had been why he conscripted him into the Frumentarii as while Vulpes had many good spies, he had surprising less great ones and even less great actors.

Amulius had even shaved his hair to match the 'role' as he had put it, slipping in as the lone barman without anyone being the wiser that the real Ike lay dumped in a shallow grave among the rubble.

"Strange," Vulpes replied, "You wouldn't be complaining now, would you Amulius?"

Amulius scoffed. "You're kidding? This is the best gig I've had in ages! Getting to talk with those NCR folk is the best time I've had since Marcus brought that batch of women in from back home! Don't really know how stupid NCR folk are till you talk to them close up!"

"They're Californian bred. Don't hold it against them." Vulpes teased. "How has it been?"

Amulius shrugged, leaning on the counter. "Quiet. Just like you said, it would. Hardly a soul comes through for a while then a group, usually coming to pay respects or caravan's looking for a place to rest. Good for a chat as there is only so long I can pretend Mr New Vegas is talking to me. You heard about the concrete workers?" Then he made a face. "What am I saying, 'course you have. Well, they still ain't back. Refusing to till the Deathclaw issue is solved as no new limestone is coming in for them to work with. But seems the NCR are refusing to do anything about it. Lazy bastards. Say they 'don't have the resources' and the 'Deathclaws will leave eventually'."

Vulpes couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, they won't."

Amulius cackled, thumping his palms on the bar like an excited child. "Oh, I love it when you make that _face_! Is shit about to go down? Though I gotta ask, what the fuck did you do to that quarry to get them Deathclaws all over it? Or do I not want to know?"

"I don't give away all my secrets Amulius."

"Fucker. Drink?" Vulpes nodded and pulled out caps, but Amulius refused them.

"Friends drink for free." He said with a wink.

Vulpes rolled his eyes, letting Amulius grab and uncap the drink in peace.

He rolled his shoulder and for the first time in what felt like months, let himself relax. He rubbed the muscles in his neck, trying to dig out the worst of it before he would have to go back and add to the tension.

"It's a long time to be away," Amulius agreed, rolling his own shoulders. "At least I'm alone a lot of the time. Don't know how you do those long haul ones. Where even are you?"

Vulpes paused, his fingers dug into a particularly painful and spasming muscle just at the base of his skull. He pressed down harder, making his eye twitch.

"That's confidential. For now."

"Brahmin shit. Just bet it's something fun you don't want to share." Amulius grumbled.

_You have no idea._

"Judging by how tired you are...is it Vegas?"

Vulpes grinned and didn't know whether to beat him to death or invite him along for that alone.

"Not telling."

"Bet it is. Make sense. Keeping the character up for that long is hard. Even for you." He rapped his fingers on the bar, desperate to say something. "What should I tell Caesar?"

Vulpes eyed him, unable to voice the way his chest constricted in a way he didn't recognise. It was painful and tight. Strange.

Part of him wanted to tell Amulius to lie. To say he hadn't even seen Vulpes there but there wasn't a remote possibility Amulius would adhere to such an agreement. Vulpes wouldn't if the roles were reversed. Such disloyalty from one of his own Frumentarii was a punishable offence, and the very thought of getting a fellow soldier to be so dishonest made him feel sick.

Yet Amulius had asked.

Vulpes narrowed his eyes, his voice laced with something dark. "You tell him whatever you feel you need to, Amulius."

Amulius nodded, his lips pressed thin and went back to the bottles behind him as if he really had a Saloon to keep afloat.

"There have been runner's up for you, y'know?" Amulius watched him from the corner of his eye. "At least three in the past week. Think He's missing you."

Vulpes didn't shift. Any movement would be a sign of something or other to Caesar once Amulius let the next runner know he'd stopped by, yet Vulpes curled his toes in his boots, over and over as if it would stop the swirling ache in his chest.

He knew Caesar would be concerned about his lack of appearance at the Fort as of late and would send people to check yet he was getting too close too fast. Boulder City had become a safe zone, with Amulius as a drop off point for any notes or messages needing to be sent back and forth but it wouldn't take long for the runner's to show up in Freeside where they would hear about a Foxx with a Courier and Vulpes had no doubt, that by the time it got to Caesar he would be an NCR spy helping Jude take over New Vegas with her pack of merry sidekicks.

He was aware that it was better to inform Caesar of his plan for the Courier sooner rather than later and while later hadn't been his intention the deeper he fell down her rabbit hole, the more he wanted to keep her secret. The more the very thought of sharing her with even his Lord sent his blood boiling.

"I figured he would send people eventually."

"He's wondering what you're scheming."

Not where he's gone, Vulpes notes. Never worried he's run off, unlike some others where that would be the very first thought. Ever faithful Vulpes would never do something so treacherous as run off. Of course not.

"Many things. All of which I'll explain to our Lord Caesar in person when next down at the Fort." He took a sip of the sarsaparilla and something yanked in his chest. Vulpes mind filled with the pressure of her lips against his, the taste of her tongue, of her scent. Of the Wasteland and blood and sarsaparilla.

"You mean you're still not going back?" Amulius asked, a twinge of apprehension in his voice.

"You sound surprised?"

"Just...been a while. And you've been away so long. Curious to know why. Sure, Lord Caesar is too."

"Which is why...I have this." Vulpes pulled a letter out of his pocket and held it out to the barman. "It explains I'll be staying away for some time longer. And that I can't send any updates in case of interception by NCR spies."

"Or interception by our little Courier friend," Amulius grumbled and snatched the letter. "Though she has been quiet since Nelson. Don't know if that's good cause she's been scared off or bad cause she's planning something."

"Always prepare for both." Vulpes warned.

"Yeah yeah." He tapped the letter against his hand and sighed, looking concerned for the first time since Vulpes had walked in the door. "He won't be happy, Vulpes."

"If he doesn't get the letter, he definitely won't be."

"Doubt anything it says will do much good."

"True." Amulius narrowed his eyes, but there was a resignation there.

"What could you _possibly_ be up to that is worth this?"

Vulpes grinned and raised the bottle to his lips.

"Now why would I ever tell you that?"

-/-/-/-/-/-

"You're shitting me." Jude sank down into her armchair and shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Surprise?"

Jude had witnessed Cass glare at Fiends and Legion soldiers with less malice in her eyes than the way she glared at Rex. It was as if he were an irradiated monster threatening her life and not the sad looking cyber-dog laying beside Jude's armchair and looking up at everyone with mournful eyes. He hadn't even lifted his head when they walked in, just opening one eye then falling back asleep as if the very act of opening them had exhausted him.

"And is that the King's dog?" Cass exclaimed, looking ready to strangle Jude even if it meant diving across the table to get to her.

"Funny, that was _exactly_ my first question too." Arcade said from behind them, shuffling past Cass and Boone as he tried to balance three bottles in his arms. "I swear every time we come in here they charge more for drinks." He huffed, reaching over the table to hand Veronica her beer then sliding the sarsaparilla over to Jude. "Was definitely cheaper before."

"How much?" Veronica asked. "Was five caps a bottle when I went up."

"Five? Charged me ten!"

"Pretty sure it was five for me too." Jude added.

"Must just like us more." Veronica teased.

Arcade made a face. "Probably shouldn't look so proud that the _Garret_ twins like you."

"You're all just okay with this?" Cass demanded, motioning to Rex as if no one else had seen him.

Arcade and Veronica shared a look then both shrugged.

"It's just a dog, Cass."

"Ha ha. Ha ha! Fuck you too Arcade."

Arcade rolled his eyes. "You act as if you haven't seen anything Jude's done for the past what? Month and a bit now, is it?"

Veronica nodded solemnly while Jude watched confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jude protested, but no one answered.

"Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it!" Cass continued. "Plus, again, ain't that the King's - Boone!"

Boone knelt beside Jude's chair, petting the ailing cyber-dog who perked up at the touch.

"This the King's dog?" He asked Jude.

"Yep, his name is Rex. I'd take that beret off before he wakes up though. And you too Cass, hat."

"What now?"

"He doesn't like hats." Jude said as if it explained everything.

"He's a dog!"

"A dog who will growl at you if he sees you wearing a hat!"

"Why?" Cass exclaimed.

"I don't know, why don't you ask him?"

"He's a _dog_!"

"Yes! And one who doesn't happen to like hats."

"I am not - Oh for fuck sake Boone."

Boone ditched his beret onto the table and ran a hand over his head as if he had any hair to fix. Rex stirred as Boone went back to petting him, the dog stretching and rolling onto his back.

Cass groaned but relented and took her own hat off as well.

"Betrayal Boone."

"Do I want to know why you have the King's dog?" Boone asked, ignoring Cass.

Cass scoffed. "Why do you think? Some 'favour' for the King again ain't it? What? Did he ask you to take his dog for a walk cause he couldn't be fucked getting off his own ass to do it?"

Arcade snorted, almost spitting his drink across the table.

"Well...not exactly."

Cass raised a hand, stopping her.

"On second thought. I refuse to hear whatever bullshit you've concocted this time without a drink in my hand."

"It ain't bullshit! Not this time! Rex needs-" But Cass was already off to the bar, shuffling through the crowd.

Rex shifted again rearranging to get comfy on his back then to look at Boone with big sad eyes, his tongue hanging out as he panted happily.

"Cass is going to be pissed when you tell her." Veronica warned.

"I know."

Boone sighed. "What have you offered to do this time?"

"It's for a good cause!"

"As if you would do anything that wasn't." Arcade said.

"Rex will die if I don't go! You try saying no to that face!"

"Rex's or the King's?" Arcade teased then paused. "Although, I could get behind either to be fair."

"Think Pacer would beat you to the King." Veronica giggled.

"More like beat me if I went _near_ the King."

Jude shrugged. "He hasn't been too bad recently. Seems like his injury at the hands of the NCR has mellowed him out. He even said sorry to me yesterday when he bumped into me!"

"A _sorry_? From _Pacer_? Are you sure you didn't just hear incorrectly? Like he had stubbed his toe? Made a sound that vaguely sounded like 'sorry'?" Arcade asked.

"Was definitely a real sorry. Should have recorded it as eviden-"

"Where do you have to go?" Boone interrupted, snapping the three out of their conversation. Jude laughed and shrugged, trying to lighten the weight on her shoulders. Boone's gaze was piercing, even with his shades, as if he was trying to break her concentration and get her to admit a deep dark secret. Yet she didn't even know herself what it was he wanted to know.

"To Mount Charleston." She explained. "Julie said there's some doctor up there who can fix Rex's brain for him. See how it's all discoloured? It ain't working right. Making him tired real quick, sometimes he walks funny, and there are times he won't listen and just wanders off. It needs replacing, or eventually, it will just completely decompose."

"The Followers can't fix it?"

"We don't have dog brain surgeons roaming around the Mormon Fort, unfortunately," Arcade said.

Boone frowned through his new shades. "That's a four-day trek at least to get there, and that's without a dog who gets tired quick. " He said to Jude. "And that's if you're lucky and run into no issues. Plus it's cold when you get up the mountain. Real cold."

"You've been?"

"Known people who have. Folks who have scouted up there for the NCR and came back with stories. I can go with you if you want?"

Jude went red and looked away, making Boone narrow his eyes.

"What?"

"Sorry Boone, she's already got a companion lined up for it, ain'tcha'?" Veronica teased. "Her new boy-"

"He isn't..." Jude yelled but struggled to think of the next thing to say, "...like that."

Boone bristled. "You're taking _Foxx_?"

Veronica cackled. "See even Boone knew who I meant!"

"You two are dating?" There was a twinge of accusation in Boone's voice she didn't like and didn't want to acknowledge but know she would have to. It was bitter and sharp and spat as if he tasted something dirty, and it made Jude feel tiny, and as if she had done something unbelievably wrong.

Jude ducked her head, picking at the skin around her nails and tried to ignore how hot her face felt.

"We-we-we are-aren't-"

"Jude!" Cass yelled across the bar. "What in the holy blue fuck is this about Mount Charleston? And with _Foxx_? _That_ fucking asshole?"

Jude flinched and sank further down into her chair. "Gee! Thanks a bunch, Francine!"

Francine laughed. "All I did was tell her about your little getaway with lover boy!"

"Why is everyone calling him that? We aren't-"

Veronica buzzed, like a Nuka-cola bottle ready to explode and grinning from ear to ear as if she knew something no one else did.

"Oh, I don't know? Maybe 'cause you've been making out with him every chance you get since that day he backed you up over the King?"

Jude covered her mouth with her hand, unable to think of anything to say as Cass wailed in frustration.

"Oh for fuck sake! Is that why you're fucking him? Over that fucking King, shit? Please, Jude you can do way better than that fucking asshole!"

"I ain't fucking him! And he ain't that bad when-"

"When you get to know him." Cass squeaked, mocking Jude's voice. "So you ain't _even_ fucking him yet we have to put up with him? Just so you know, I make a point of not getting to know assholes. If they wanted me to get to know them, then they shouldn't be fucking assholes!"

"Should we all take that as a compliment?" Arcade asked.

"Of course! I wouldn't be hanging around you guys if I thought you were like that dickwad! And please, Jude, you ain't fucking him _yet_. Just wait till you get back from this trip when all we'll hear from your room for days is your bed banging against that wall!"

"Not an image I needed Cass!" Arcade exclaimed.

"Then you tell her! Not like you ain't thinking the same!"

Jude's heart plummeted the height of the Hoover Dam, as Arcade ducked his head as if that would hide him from her.

"Arcade?"

He made a face as if he'd licked a battery, his mouth twisted in a grimace.

"Thanks Cass."

Jude looked around at everyone, trying to gauge their expressions.

"Does everyone really hate him?"

The lack of an answer was enough.

"It's like Cass said. We...we just think you could do better," Arcade admitted.

"And that it may be a bit dangerous to go off alone with him," Veronica added, smiling as sweetly as she could while trying to look serious. "Don't you notice how he looks at you sometimes?"

Jude couldn't help but laugh before Veronica had even finished the sentence.

Foxx? Dangerous?

"Are you all serious? It's _Foxx_! He's harmless! Plus I've been out with him before. Remember? Back when all of you were refusing to speak to me!" That got her even more awkward glances, and she felt a stab of guilt at reminding them.

_Don't be silly cricket. Let them feel guilty._

Jude sighed. "Maybe none of you would like to hear it, but I'd trust him with my life. The same way I trust all of you with it. I know he can be an asshole, but I swear to you there...there's more to him than that."

Cass snorted.

"But anyways!" Jude continued before Cass could start again. "This job to fix Rex is exactly what I'm saying it is. A job. Not some romantic getaway like you guys are making it out to be! There's going to be more hoofing it across the Mojave with an invalid dog than time for any...funny business!"

"Bet that's not how Foxx will see it!" James jumped in from cleaning the table behind them, leaning on the back of Veronica's seat much to her disgust. He cackled as he did as if he had told himself the funniest joke in his head, with a grin that was too big for his face. "Guy practically mind fucks you every time he's near you as it is. Can't imagine what he'll do when he gets you alone!" Jude opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but loud snorts and laughter sounded from the others, leaving her mouth agape.

"He does not...mind fuck me at all!" They all looked at her. "He does not!" She repeated.

"Are you really that dense?" Cass laughed. "He would have chowed down on you like a prime Sailsbury steak if you'd given him half a chance!"

"Hey, does that robot of your's record shit?" James asked, eyeing ED-E, who hovered beside Arcade.

Jude narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Just know plenty of folks that would pay a pretty penny extra to hear a recording from inside your room up at Mount Charleston. Would go great alongside our new Courier Escort! Add some much-needed authenticity!" James cackled again and ducked to miss Jude's empty sarsaparilla bottle.

"Gross, James!" Veronica exclaimed.

Arcade removed his glasses, cleaning them on his lab coat.

"I still can't believe you actually introduced that."

"Customer demands are customer demands," Francine replied, standing beside her brother. "Even when they come from sleazeballs. Also, seen an increase in requests for a Sniper, a Caravaner, Scribe and Doctor I bet you lovely people would like to know." Francine winked at Arcade while Cass leaned back in her seat, looking smug.

"Aw, _hells_ yeah."

"I didn't need to know that Francine." Arcade said.

"Wait...people have...asked for...a..."

"Don't...Don't think about it, Veronica." Arcade warned.

"_Hells_ yeah think about it!" Cass argued. "Think about how hot it is!"

"It isn't hot Cass, it's obscene! Being objectified by strangers like that?" Arcade argued. "Strangers, who drink in the same bar as you?"

"I agree it's kinda...weird." Veronica pondered. "They should at least buy me a drink first."

"Hey...hey kid..." James whispered and shuffled over to Jude, leaning over Boone who just glared up at him, still petting Rex. "When you and Foxx get...like..._married_, can I be your best man?" James pouted. "I do a great best man speech!"

"Oh!" Veronica raised her hand. "Can I be a bridesmaid! Please! You get to wear such pretty dresses at weddings!"

"I thought you didn't even like Foxx!"

"If he gives me an excuse to get dressed up, then I'll be his best buddy."

Boone stopped petting Rex. His face was like stone. As if it couldn't even comprehend what he was feeling and reverted him back to factory settings.

"He's proposed to you?" Jude turned the same colour as a Nuka-Cola label, glaring at James, who had doubled over in laughter.

"Can you imagine, 'Ankie? _Foxx_? _Married_? Be like domesticating a Deathclaw!"

"Or a Yaoguai!" She added, laughing with him.

Arcade leaned towards Jude, looking unimpressed.

"You ever wish they would just spit it out when they want to tell you something?"

"Now where would the fun be in that?" James teased.

"I think I like you both better when you're separated." Jude grumbled.

Francine ignored her and snickered. "She'll figure it out."

"Eventually." James appended. "Just like Evelyn did."

"And Jane."

"And Penny."

"Oh, and what was that other one? The other redhead, like Penny and Evelyn?"

"He does seem to have a thing for them, don't he? Daisy?"

"Yes! Daisy! And Georgia and Wynne and Kirsty and..."

They continued saying names, and Jude felt a hollow feeling in her stomach she didn't like to admit. It was a niggling feeling. As if she were standing at a cliff edge, leaning forward towards the water only to pull herself back just before she dropped; over and over and over again, making herself sick with it.

She knew there were many. Both Garret's had insinuated as much several times before and each time it clawed at her more and more, leaving deeper and deeper wounds which never healed right. With every name, they opened old festering wounds she had tried to deny even existed and even worse, unscrewed the lid on the maturating doubt. On the thought that her friends were right. That there was something off about the handsome stranger with the eyes bluer than Mojave sky. There were only so many names she could hear and not wonder just why one man had so many fools entangled in his web.

"I get it!" Jude snapped, stopping their tirade of names. "But what does it matter?" She swallowed hard, yet still felt the lump in her throat. "None of my business. Is it?"

"You ain't worried you're just the next one in line?" Francine taunted. "Another notch on his bedpost?"

James snorted. "Does he even have a bedpost left?"

Jude smiled despite the way it felt as if a sand storm of glass was raging in her chest.

"I think we've heard about enough from Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee." Arcade announced, standing and glaring at the two twins but Francine just grinned at him and continued to Jude.

"You don't think you'll be the one to make dear old Foxx's heart grow two sizes, now do you?"

"Maybe I'm just taking it as it goes!" she replied.

"Here here!" Cass joined and jumped to her feet, downing over half of her bottle in one go. "Fuck 'im and leave 'im is what I say! Now what I gotta do to get another drink 'round here?"

"Fuck and leave who?" It was as if her very atoms responded to the sound of his voice, jolting and turning to him like a magnet. She hadn't heard him walk in and from the looks on the other's face, they hadn't either.

James and Francine froze, like children who had been caught drawing naughty words on the wall by their parents, but within seconds, sinister grins spread across their face and Jude feared what they had planned.

Foxx sauntered over to the table with a crooked grin that made her wonder just how much he had heard, the thought of him hearing any of it turning her as pink as a prickly pear.

Boone didn't acknowledge the entrance but to be fair, Foxx didn't acknowledge Boone either, walking right past the sniper at Jude's side and hanging over the back of Jude's chair. Boone's back had tensed, despite him being still very much focused on Rex who hadn't yet noticed the new visitor due to his belly rub induced daze. It was the closest either of the men had gotten to each other since they had tried knocking each other's lights out, the situation ending with a fizzle rather than a bang with neither side acknowledging it once Boone returned. Deciding that if they were managing to occupy the same space together without talking about it, then it was best to leave it as it is and just forget it ever happened.

It was the Mojave way.

Jude tipped her head up at Foxx, confused, but before she could say a word, he leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. His lips were soft and warm, and she melted into him. With it, he cleaned out all the cobwebs of her mind. How silly could she be? Doubting him?

It was _Foxx_.

"Hey, cricket." He grinned.

"Hey."

"Do I want to know why you have Rex?"

"I'll explain later?"

Cass snorted into the crook of her arm, her shoulders shaking.

"Something you want to share with the class Cass?" Jude asked.

Cass cleared her throat and shrugged. "Yeah. Where the _fuck_ have you been fox face?"

"Cass!" Jude exclaimed, but it didn't hold the force it should have, just glad Cass hadn't tried to push the 'romantic getaway' angle.

"What? He promised me a rematch after cheating at Caravan the last time! Then he chickens out and goes galavanting off for two days instead!"

Foxx laughed. "Sorry, your such a sore loser Cass, cause I didn't cheat and I didn't chicken out."

"That's exactly what a _cheater_ would say!"

"Everything okay?" Veronica asked him, sounding as if she really cared.

"Is now."

Jude pressed her lips together.

"Is that it? No juicy details?" Arcade asked, leaning into the huddle that had formed around the small table.

"Nothing interesting. A friend came into town. Asked for help. All very last minute."

"Is your friend hot?" Cass asked. "Not asking for me! For Arcade!" She added as Jude glared daggers.

"That's sweet you're thinking of me, Cass." Arcade replied.

Foxx made a face. "The idiot is a bit well...of an idiot. Definitely not good enough for our Gannon."

Cass cackled. "Never know! Might add a bit of spice to his life!"

Arcade cleared his throat, a faint rose tint covering his cheeks and over his nose. He chuckled, but the sound that came out of him was far too forced to be believable. "Think I get plenty of that hanging around you guys."

_What a bunch of two-faced-_

"Jude? You okay?" Cass snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Yeah!" Jude exclaimed without even knowing what she was saying. "Of course! Just been a long day."

"What's that in your hand Foxx?" James called across the table, looking like a mischievous cat. "Or is it for when you and Jude are alone?" He winked, Francine snickering with him. Foxx looked confused for a moment until he appeared to remember the item in his hand, a large parcel wrapped in old newspapers and tied with strings. Jude sank into her seat, her nails gripped the rugged fabric of the chair, resisting the urge to grab Arcade's bottle and launch it across the room at the two twins, hopefully hitting them both in one.

"Oh, this?" He sat on the side of her armchair, closer than needed, but it was welcome to feel him after the time away. To have his heat against her, knowing he was close.

"Happy birthday, cricket."

It took Jude a moment to register what he said. The word was unfamiliar at first, almost foreign yet on the tip of her tongue. Then it hit her in a flash, and she struggled to reply.

"Birthday?" The thought hadn't even been in her head since Doc Mitchell asked her age all the way back in Goodsprings. His little machine had known more about her than she did, including how old she was, just not the day or month she was born. He seemed to find it funny, telling her how it was more fun that way, getting to pick your birthday. She could make it whatever day she liked and change it if she got bored.

The conversation seemed almost a lifetime ago.

Foxx shrugged. "Belated or early, you can take your pick whenever you finally choose what day you want it to be. I found this on my way back and just couldn't resist."

Jude narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Just open it?"

The package had more of a weight to it than she had expected, but it was soft, shifting as she untied the string. She only had to see the bright blue fabric, peeking out as the newspaper unfurled to know what it was.

"Foxx..." She said the sound barely a breath. "How did you even find it?"

"Luck it seems." Cass leaned over and groaning in disappointment.

"Aw, I was hoping for something more fun than that."

"Good thing it ain't for you then isn't it, Cass." Boone said, giving Jude a fright.

Arcade whistled. "Certainly looks a sight better than yours just now."

The Vault Suit looked as if it had never even been worn before. Jude didn't realise it was even possible to get suits that new. The yellow stripes down the centre were neon compared to her own that had dulled from the number of times she had washed it since Goodsprings and worn where she kept tying it around her waist like she did whenever she was in the Wrangler. While on the front was the small vault tec logo, on the back was emblazoned the number 11.

"Vault 11. Did you get it from there?"

"Not myself but the guy I bought it from must have."

"You bought it?" Jude exclaimed. "How much was that!"

Jude racked her brain for how much leather armour cost and almost felt sick. She didn't know how much in the way of expendable caps Foxx had, but he wasn't responsible for getting her anything yet just gave her a soft smile as if what she said was a sweet yet silly question.

"Would you have rather I stole it off him?" He leaned in closer.

"I'd rather you didn't waste your caps on me at all!"

"I wouldn't call it a waste, cricket. You can't go around being the Saviour of the Mojave with just one tatty old jumpsuit."

"It isn't tatty! It's just...vintage."

Foxx raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you call it?"

"Aw and here I thought it would be something for you two's romantic little getaway together." Francine teased.

Arcade, Cass and Veronica had stopped paying attention to Jude and Foxx as soon as their conversation got personal, instead, questioning why people didn't raid Vaults as often. But at the very sound of 'getaway', they all turned as if to witness the resulting reaction, Cass snickering like one of the many street kids in Freeside.

Foxx frowned but a ghost of a smile graced his lips. "Romantic getaway?"

Jude tried to say something, but all that came out of her mouth was something akin to the sound of a dying mole-rat.

"That...is an...exaggeration." She managed out, but her voice squeaked at the effort.

There was a moment's pause then a wicked grin spread across his face that turned her the same colour of the Mojave sky at dusk. Suddenly the bar was too small and far too hot. She needed to get away from all the watching eyes. "Outside. Please." She said, voice still far high.

"Aw! No fair!" James and Cass called almost in tandem.

Jude's face burned brighter than a glowing irradiated feral ghoul, and her head rushed with what to say and how to say it.

"Why do I feel like that wasn't an exaggeration?" Foxx said the moment the door closed behind them.

The air wasn't any cooler outside, despite the orange sky shifting to pinks and purples as the sun set over Freeside. The streets were quieter but still bustling with activity as people settled down for the night.

"It's nothing." She laughed, trying her best to keep her shoulders and body relaxed. "It's just a-"

His eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer. "It certainly didn't sound or look like nothing." He reached up, brushing his thumb across her cheeks still blushed pink. For a moment, his eyes lingered on her lips then back to her eyes, his own tinted with hunger.

She swallowed hard and laughed again to try and dispel the building tension.

"R-Rex needs a new brain." She explained. "But the guy who can fix it lives up in Mount Charleston."

Foxx frowned and took a moment to reply. "That's up in the mountains? West of Vegas?"

"Yeah." A heavy sigh escaped her lips, and she leaned forward into his chest. Without hesitating, he pulled her closer, slipping a hand into her hair, instantly filling her chest with a warmth she hadn't felt in days. He smelled of the desert and blood and dirt and entirely Foxx. His fingers played with strands of her hair, and she wished so much they were already far away from Freeside. Alway from the madness of the Mojave.

"Rex'll die if he doesn't get treatment and there's too much going on with the NCR and shit for the King to-"

Foxx snorted. "He didn't try to sell you the 'I would go myself but-' argument did he? The King hasn't left Freeside in years. He wouldn't last a day outside the walls, and he knows it."

Jude laughed. "You never know. Might surprise you."

"The day he does is the same day Freeside does." Foxx pulled away and narrowed his eyes at her, making her feel as if he saw more in her face than she was letting on. "You are aware Mount Charleston is a four to five day trip? And that's without a sick dog?"

"It's worth it for Rex." She replied. "Plus...I was hoping I wouldn't be alone?" She asked and nudged him playfully. He didn't seem to know what she was doing, frowning until a grin as wide as the Mojave spread across his face.

"It's a four or five day trek _up_ Jude." He said. "Nevermind back down."

"As well as possibly several days in a big...empty resort building, waiting for Rex to be well enough to head back down..." She continued, trying to make herself sound as oblivious and innocent to the implications as she could. "I mean I could go alone, but I just thought-"

"Yes?"

She swallowed hard. Her hand traced Foxx's jawline, up to his cheekbone and a deep groan rumbled from his chest as his eyes closed. Her face was on fire, but it was thrilling. As if her skin was alive and glowing just underneath.

"Just thought I may as well invite you along? I-If you'd-"

He crushed his lips against hers, slipping his hands into her hair and yanking her close. A sound resembling a growl sounded from him sending a bolt of desire through her, down into her heat. He kissed her as if he had forgotten how she tasted in the short few days they'd been apart. Forgotten how she felt in his arms and needed to remind himself before she faded away. Jude whimpered, wrapping her arms around him and slipping her tongue into his mouth, tasting cigarettes and bourbon and craving more of it. Of him. Coveting his touch and taste and begging that he would always want her precisely as he did at that moment. As if there was nothing else in the world or the Mojave.

"Get a room!" Jude stiffened and tried to shuffle out of his grip, but Foxx didn't let go, tugging her closer. She peered over his shoulder, spotting the King gang members who had shouted, laughing and one cat whistling as they continued walking past them, but Jude was pulled back into the kiss before she could think further, Foxx's warm, rough hand slipping under her vest. He grazed just enough skin to get her groaning, then grasped her waist, his nails almost scratching and clawing at the scars on her back. Then he pulled away, nipping her lip as he went, sending a quiver through her spine.

She licked her lips and tried to find the breath he'd taken from her.

"I...I guess that as a yes?"

He grinned, the sight making her wish they were already up in the cold mountains. His fingers traced her jaw.

"As if I'd ever refuse a chance to have you all to myself."

"It's for a job." She reminded him. "Not just...just...for whatever you're thinking."

He raised an eyebrow, challenging. "And what do you believe I'm thinking?"

"Never anything good."

"Oh...it's very good, I assure you."

"Reel it in cowboy." She teased and kissed him softly. "Y-you think you'd be ready to leave tomorrow? Crack of dawn?"

He groaned. "I'd leave now if it would get us there faster." He whispered into her ear.

The door to the Wrangler opened the sound of a throat being cleared pulled them apart.

"Hey, Boone!" Jude said, trying to sound cheerful despite the deep lines marring Boone's forehead. Foxx tensed beside her, darkness covering his face as he scowled at the sniper. "Everything okay?" Jude asked.

"Can I talk to you?" Boone eyed Foxx as he asked. "Alone."

Jude frowned, unable to even conjure what was so important he had been driven to come out and talk to her. "Of course."

Foxx gripped her hand, something in his eyes making her pause. "Jude."

She squeezed his back. "I won't be long." She assured him. "Go and start the game of Caravan before Cass has a fit."

For a moment, she thought Foxx was going to refuse it then it was as if something in him switched, his face lighting up with that familiar saccharine grin as he assured they could take all the time they needed and he strolled past Boone into the Wrangler.

Boone didn't say a word for almost a good minute, as if worried Foxx was standing on the other side, listening.

"Everything okay?" Jude asked. "You-"

"You sure you'll be okay alone with him?"

The question took her so off guard all she couldn't answer him at first and waited as if there was some kind of punch line coming she wasn't aware of. Not that Boone had ever been one for joking. He watched her, his face like granite and almost pained.

"I wouldn't have asked him if I didn't." She responded when she regained her voice.

Boone nodded, his face twitching. A sigh escaped his throat, and he ran both his hands down his face.

"If you're sure."

"Oh, Boone." She tutted. "I know you don't like him-"

"I don't agree with Cass about a lot, but she's right about him."

"Yeah. Foxx...can be an acquired taste."

Boone scoffed and rolled his jaw, going silent for several beats.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Jude didn't have an answer. Not one that didn't sound bad or pathetic.

She shrugged. "There isn't really anything to tell? It's all very..."

"Up in the air?" He answered for her. "That why you're going on a 'romantic getaway' together?"

"It...it...isn't. I would hardly call-"

He chuckled, she didn't hear often, and it almost left her speechless.

"You sound so much like me back..." He paused, then sighed, leaning on the wall of the Wrangler "Back when I first started dating Carla."

It was as if all the air had been forced out of her chest. Even hearing her name was like hearing the name of a saint. As if said too many times, it would be taking her name in vain. Boone mentioned her only a few times. Once at the very beginning, during the situation with Jeanie May. Finding that Bill of Sale was one of those things Jude would never forget. Along with the sight of a man being splintered as he finally saw that his wife and unborn child had been sold by a close friend.

"I...I do?" Jude stammered.

"I remember being so convinced that one day she'd realise just how stupid she was hanging around some NCR sniper not worth her time, so I kept downplaying our time together. Telling myself that it wasn't anything serious. That we were just seeing how it went. Even when I took her out to the Ultra-Luxe, rented a room, I told friends it wasn't a 'date'. We were just 'having fun'." Boone watched her from behind his shades, yet she felt more exposed than ever.

"I guess...I can see the resemblance." She muttered.

Boone sighed. "I remember being so excited to introduce Carla to the first recon. Really thought they'd love her."

"Didn't they?"

Boone scoffed.

"You've met Manny. Whe-fuck," He rubbed his eyes, "when I told him what...what happened with Carla...He...He actually...seemed happy? That's how much he _hated_ her. The others weren't much better."

Jude couldn't even imagine it. She wanted to comfort him but was scared to move, in case it snapped Boone back from whatever mood he was in.

"You deserve better friends than that Boone."

He nodded, clenching and unclenching his jaw as if the thought in his head hurt.

"And...and so do you," Boone replied.

"What?"

"My entire relationship with Carla, al I ever got from the people around me was how Carla wasn't right for me. People telling me I could do better. How she was using me cause I was NCR." With each reason, his voice got louder and tighter, the muscles in his jaw fighting against each other. "They...they didn't see her like I did. Didn't even try to. And to be fair, she didn't want to show them. She lowered those walls with me and me alone the same way I dropped mine with her."

He pushed himself off the wall of the Wrangler, stepping awkwardly in front of her. He had his hands in his pockets as if he didn't know what else to do with them, and Jude was reminded just how graceless the man was despite being the best shot in the Mojave.

"I don't like Foxx."

"I guessed that much."

"But...if he makes you happy, then...I'm glad you've found someone who does."

"Even if its Foxx-"

"Even if its Foxx." He assured her, but the very words seemed to pain him. "But if it turns out I'm right-"

Jude rolled her eyes and enveloped him into a hug. "If you're right and he turns out to be some...legion affiliated psychopath or absolute nutcase you will be the first to know because I will be dragging you to go find and get the asshole."

Boone grunted and hugged her back.

"Damn right."

From inside the Wrangler, Vulpes tried his best not to rip the cards in his hands. To ignore the grotesque display, he could see through the streaked and smashed windows. To not think about her touching the sniper as if he were anything more than a mongrel who needed put down.

James shouted at him to take his turn, and without looking, Vulpes took his next play earning a groan from the group.

"He must be cheating!" Cass said.

"I'm done." Arcade said.

"Not a chance! Best out of ten!" James argued, and Cass agreed, but Vulpes was only paying attention to his periphery.

Jude looked too happy at the mongrel's side as they walked in together. Even the dog had a ghost of a smile on his face that Vulpes wanted nothing more than to beat out of him until there was nothing but blood and sinew.

Rex barked and spun around her legs, seeming in better spirits with everyone around and giving him attention. Jude laughed and fussed over the cyberdog, much to its glee.

Vulpes couldn't believe his luck with the canine. That because of some mutt he was getting to pull the Courier away from all these people. From anyone else who could whisper in her ear.

From the sniper.

"Everything going okay?" Jude asked, leaning on the side of the armchair. Vulpes grinned up at her and sank back into what had been her seat, then with one tug, yanked her down onto his lap.

"Better than okay now." He said closer then nuzzled into her ear, humming in delight at how well she fit against him. "So far managed to beat everyone. Again."

"All you've proved is you cheated again! And no playing in teams!" Cass motioned to the two of them.

"I won't play!" Jude replied. "I'd be a hindrance anyway! You've seen me try to play Caravan!"

Arcade snorted. "For someone so bright, I don't understand how you don't understand such a simple game."

"I don't get cards, okay? Maybe the bullet knocked something loose!" She giggled and shifted in his lap. He bit down hard on the inside of his mouth to hold back a groan, wishing he could instead bite the soft skin of her shoulder that was marred only by the scars scoring her back like a tapestry. He'd asked her about them before, but any answers disappeared the day Benny put two bullets in her brain.

"I can try to teach you." Vulpes offered.

"Good luck." Arcade mumbled earning him a glare from Jude.

"Thank you, Foxx. That would be very kind."

"You wanting another drink Foxx?"

The voice took him by surprise. The NCR dog stood over them with Rex at his heel, leaning into his leg and looking up at him as if he were a God made corporeal.

Made sense for a dog to befriend a mongrel he guessed.

Vulpes fingers twitched, inching Jude closer yet even with that he couldn't detect a spot of jealousy or resentment in the sniper's face.

_He's 1st recon. He wouldn't show it._

"Sure, buddy. Thanks." The sniper jaw clenched, but he just nodded. "No problem. Jude? Anyone else?"

Cass narrowed her eyes and leaned forward as if trying to get a better look.

"Who are you and what have you done with Craig Boone?"

"Just the same again for everyone. Thanks, Boone." Veronica smiled.

"And he gets a _thanks_! I've been up more than him!"

Vulpes felt his teeth itch and head burn as Jude laughed on his lap, looking as bright as the Mojave sun.

Vulpes watched her face, and a deep, warm peace settled over him. He had to put it into perspective. By tomorrow the sniper would be nothing but a distant thought, wandering Freeside aimlessly 'till she returned but by then, her mind, body and soul would be his and not one of them would be able to take her away from him.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

AN: So sorry for the delay with this chapter! I work full time and volunteer so some weeks are harder than others to get it out! If I think it will be late, I'll update the description in the future ahead of time.

Thank you all so much for being so patient and for your support! Very much appreciated! :)


	9. Chapter 9 - Metaphors

AN: Sorry for the delay again! Double chapter upload tonight though! (Really one chapter split in two. Let me know if you prefer it like this or just one long chapter!)

Hope you enjoy! :)

-/-/-/-/-/-

Vulpes realised he'd made a mistake.

From the moment Jude had dragged him towards the small desert town just outside of Red Rock, it had been as if he carried a bar of concrete around his shoulders, every muscle groaning in protest and begging him to leave. Yet to do so would mean to drag Jude away as well, to turn-heal and not look back. Her hand was the only thing grounding him to reality. The only thing stopping him digging his nails into his palm till they drew blood yet she seemed oblivious, enraptured with the town before her as if she had never seen anything quite like it.

She marvelled at the whitewashed, horizontal slat homes that sat pristine and perfect in the strange desert oasis they had found themselves in. The entire town of Sunnyvale was built like a model not made for the Mojave, the white too stark against the sand and houses too perfect. Each building looked as if they had been plucked from a time before the war with crimson red doors, window boxes full of cacti and flowers and each erected in rows of four.

It just reminded Vulpes of home. Of life back in Arizona. All straight lines and edges, with flowers placed throughout in an attempt to soften the harsh perfection.

It made his skin itch.

"Look at all these _homes."_ She groaned. With each building they passed, she tried to peer inside, as if it would be enough just to glimpse at how they lived. "I didn't even know this town existed! It wasn't on my Pip-Boy. Some kind of pop-up, maybe?"

Vulpes didn't answer but squeezed her hand, which had been enough for her since that morning.

His throat constricted, and his teeth ground together hard enough until he felt them scrape as if they were made of metal.

He hadn't even recognised the settlement until he was walking through it. A small alarm bell going off in his head at the sight of the usual houses which only got louder as several locals smiled, and their eyes flashed at him in recognition. Blaring like an air raid siren when they then crossed their arm over their chest and bowed their head to him when Jude wasn't looking.

Jude squeezed his hand, and for a terrible minute, he thought she had noticed. Instead, he found her beaming up at him, her nose and cheeks tinted rose from sunburn, and covered in even more freckles than the day before. He almost managed a smile back, before more locals walked passed with a wave and a smile, and Jude couldn't resist but return the gesture. He ducked his head, not making direct eye contact with any of them, keeping in her shadow.

He had to at least be impressed that they were consistent. Not one didn't keep up with the small-town look, and everyone that was up was stuck into something. Every person had a job, every job had a purpose, without one hair or petal out of place and there wasn't a drunk or chem-addled junkie in sight.

If only they stopped the posturing for his sake.

"You think they'd be willing to trade secrets? Tit-for-tat? Maybe they could help Freeside and Westside? Oh! They even have a farm?" She gasped, incredulous at the sight of several locals heading into the small patches of land behind the homes, each patch full of produce.

He could see her trying to get the images to fit. To try to make sense of how a small town could appear from nowhere yet be so self-sustaining. Without her hearing of it.

It was on the tip of his tongue.

This is what Lord Caesar could give you.

_This is what I could give you_.

Vulpes remained silent.

"You'd think at least one caravan would have mentioned it before now if it's been around a while. But there is no way it could be- Hi! Sorry to bother you-" She called to a middle-aged woman who beamed back at Jude, looking as if she hadn't a care in the world. "You don't know where the general store is round here, do you?"

The woman smiled, assuring Jude she was being no bother at all and directing her down the street.

"You're looking for a place called 'Restock-a-bull'. Though if you're looking for guns, I'd go to Reload-a-bull across the street. Much better wares even if its a little more expensive. Can't miss either of them. Do you want me to walk with you? Streets can look a little similar if you aren't used to them."

Jude assured her they would manage and with a smile, the woman walked off, a basket of produce in hand.

Jude whispered, leaning in again. "Restock-a-bull? Reload-a-bull? Social-a-bull? Were they all high when they named them?"

"It's for tourism." Vulpes muttered. "Something to bring folks this way."

Jude almost stumbled over her own feet. "You know this place?"

Vulpes clenched his teeth.

He should have just shut up and stayed quiet.

"Found my way here a couple of times."

"Why would they want tourism?"

"Same reason Novac keeps pushing that ridiculous Dinky Dinosaur?"

Jude nudged him, grinning. "Don't make fun of Dinky like that. I'll have you know he's a state treasure." Her eyes narrowed. "Wait...don't tell me they have a giant statue of a bull layin' around do they?"

He didn't. But Jude found it soon enough.

It was a massive copper monstrosity, a little bigger than life-size, sitting outside the general store, made out of old bits of scrap and whatever else they could find. It glared at the two of them, looking angrier than any mascot Vulpes had seen before, even with the gambler hat placed on its head, as if it was enough to soften its expression. Vulpes didn't believe it helped much, and from the look on Jude's face, she didn't appear as convinced either.

"Thought you said they didn't have one!"

"I didn't say anything. Not that they didn't have one."

"That is a cop...out..." She trailed off, her eyes catching something behind him like Rex did a rat. It was as if something had begun strangling her, with only one pathetic gasp escaping her lips. All the colour drained from her face as she staggered back, her eyes wide. Vulpes' stomach sank, thoughts of her catching a local doing something stupid but he didn't get out as much as the first syllable of her name before she was dragging him into the alley between the general store and clothing store beside it.

"Jude what-"

She peered around the edge of the building, Vulpes on her heel, but she ducked back immediately, stumbling into his arms.

"Shit! Sorry! It's just- Look!" She stammered and peered around again, swearing under her breath then darting back to pace around the alley.

Vulpes almost didn't want to look. It was like hearing a crash in a room filled with children. There was only one expectation anyone could have at the sound. The same applied with a Legion occupied town, and Vulpes expectation had come to be idiotic or lazy Legionaries.

Peering around the corner, he spotted the gold first. The armour glittered in the sun, bringing the attention to the group like a beacon of light or a burning flickering flame.

Rage thrummed through Vulpes veins as if made of white-hot coal.

_How stupid can one group of men be?_

"Why is no one reacting?" Jude whispered, eyeing them over Vulpes shoulder. "They're- What the-?"

A pretty young local woman slowed as she passed the group of assassins, offering them bottles of water from her basket which they accepted with thanks before she went on her way, the Centurion eying her ass as she did.

"Are you seeing this?" She whispered into his ear.

Her lips grazed it, and a fire quivered down his neck, through his chest and into his groin. He bit his lip, holding back the groan that built in his chest, instead, gripping her hand tighter.

"What was she thinking she's...No..."

Not five steps away from the woman, a local man offered the men food from his own pack.

"What-!" He spun and covered her mouth with his hand, pushing Jude back into the alley with him as her yelling was reduced to muffled cries. She breathed heavy, her eyes wild and begging him for answers.

Slowly he removed his hand, and it all came out in a stream.

"What do they think they're...NCR folk helping Legion? Have they lost-"

"Because these people aren't NCR Jude."

"What?"

"They're helping their own."

It was as if her soul left her body, every muscle in her sinking.

If it had been anyone else, it would have been funny, but there was something about it. The way her eyes dimmed, no longer as bright as they had been when she believed she'd discovered a new prospect in the Mojave. It sent his stomach swirling.

"No...it can't."

"It can and it is."

"The whole town?"

"It is a Legion town, Jude so I'd assume so."

She reacted as if he'd slapped her or spat in her face.

"No..."

He sighed and stroked her face. "I told you this is what the towns were like, cricket."

She didn't even register his touch, her gaze miles away.

"So close to Vegas..."

"Jude?"

"It's nowhere near the Fort, though?"

"Don't ask me why it's here. I just know it is one."

Then she returned, her eyes full of wrath and slapped his hand away, staggering backwards.

"And you never told me? Or thought to tell the NCR that the Legion had a stake so close to Vegas?"

Vulpes gave her a look as if she'd gone mad and her expression immediately softened, but she didn't rescind her glare.

"I knew you were a fence sitter Foxx, but I didn't think you would let a threat like this just lie in wait."

He bristled. "_Fence_ sitter?"

"You only ever look after yourself. Never fighting or standing for anything else. I can't believe I thought you were capable of any goo-"

He covered her mouth and slammed her up against the building. She fought against him, until the group of Legionaries walked past, laughing and chatting, the gold armour of the Centurion and the red uniform the others wore, striking against the sea of white houses. At their heal, one of the Legion's infamous hounds.

Jude gasped against his hand.

Vulpes stiffened, and he felt Jude do the same. He pressed himself up against her as, if it would stop her scent from travelling. The hound sniffed, and for several agonising seconds, he expected the worst. His mind rushing with ways to explain Jude to the men and explain the men to Jude, but as if heard by Mars, the dog moved along, continuing to follow at its master's feet.

He waited for several beats before letting her go, but she didn't say a word or look at him, her face like stone. His aching cock urged him to just grab her again. That it would get her speaking to him again.

_Speaking or screaming_?

Vulpes clenched his teeth.

"I...didn't tell the NCR because I didn't want them hurting the people here." He said, trying his best to sound conflicted.

"What?" She snapped.

"They're civilians from Arizona. Not soldiers or spies. They have as much to do with this war as the people in Westside."

"The people in Westside don't feed and water Legion soldiers."

Vulpes scoffed. "Westside doesn't exactly lick NCR boot, does it? You have no idea what they get up to."

"At least buying supplies there doesn't fund the Legion!" She was trying her best to keep her voice down, but he could see her struggling, see her wanting to scream at him as if he was the one to blame.

"I don't see you complaining about the NCR taxing their citizens to fund war efforts."

She was in his face, wild and dangerous pressed up against him, exactly where he wanted her. "They don't rape and torture their people! Why is that so hard to understand?"

Vulpes grinned, standing tall as her heat drove him wild with _need. _He tried to step forward but only pushed himself further into her, neither willing to budge.

"No, they just rape and torture _other_ people!" He replied. "People their own citizens don't care about. Covering up their atrocities with easily debunkable lies their people believe cause it's easier to accept than the truth! You should know that better than most."

"So, the Legion are better purely because '_at least they're honest about being assholes_'?"

He leaned into her lips, brushing his fingers across her jaw.

"Never said Legion were better."

She bared her teeth, glaring into his eyes. "You sure do act like it! _Maybe_-"

The spell was broken. She staggered back as if something had hit her, her fingers at her lips, holding in the words left unsaid.

"Go on, Jude. _Say it._" Vulpes urged, his lips upturned into a cruel smile. "We both know what your thinking."

She didn't utter a word. Just looked ahead, her jaw tight and lips in a thin line as if it would stop her saying what her mind was thinking.

_Maybe you are Legion._

He wished she had. He wanted to know how it would have ended if she had...

_With you buried deep inside her and the Legionaries long forgotten._

Jude's body pressed against his in the middle of her raging anger was something Vulpes never knew he needed, and now he'd experienced it, he craved to feel it again. His mind was filled with images of her fighting against him. Of her bucking and clawing till she finally caved to the pleasure. Her eyes turning from hatred to a glassy, wanton need as she begged him not to stop.

Vulpes swallowed hard.

"You...you said so yourself this is the only town around this way." He said, jaw tight as he eyed her up and down. "Caravaners and travellers alike rely on it to survive. The people here my be Legion, but they aren't part of the army. But if the NCR find out about them you know as well as I do they'll be treated as if they are. You know what the NCR did at Bitter Springs, so don't act as if these people would be treated with kindness and mercy."

It was like seeing a ripple on a still pond turn into waves as her eyes darted, her mind working overtime, trying to think of something better than what he was saying.

He brushed her face, and she flinched away.

He sighed. "I just thought they deserved a chance. The one, the _Khans_, never got. I thought you of all people would see that."

She stiffened, and he knew he'd hit a nerve, but she still didn't look at him.

"We...we need that dog of their's." She said, as if speaking to him was painful.

"I wouldn't start a fight here."

"Will they all try to kill me?" She asked indignantly.

"You want to try it out and see?" He replied, his voice hard. "Violett's home isn't far off-"

"You said yourself it would be better to have a dog whose head wasn't full of chems. Legion dogs are strong. Loyal. Even if their masters are assholes. Plus Rex used to be Legion, it makes sense he get a Legion dog brain."

"Just cause he has that bull painted on him..."

"He's the best-trained dog I've seen that ain't Legion. Only makes sense he used to belong to them. Also, won't it be easier for him to take? Similar memories?"

"I don't disagree but getting one-"

Jude grinned at him. "You could talk a Brahmin rancher into thinking he needs more Brahmin. Get them to sell it."

Vulpes laughed. "You can't be-"

"You're always claimin' the Legion ain't that bad? Prove it. Show me they're reasonable folk who will barter with strangers. Not like I can do it. Being a woman and the 'evil' Courier they want to _murder_."

"And if I get it?"

"What?"

"If I get the dog?"

She seemed confused by his confidence. Vulpes could only clench and unclench his hands.

"Get the dog first before you act so sure of yourself." She replied. "I'll get the supplies. Just keep them out of the shops."

"Jude this isn't-"

"And also...don't die." She added. "Please."

She said it as if the word would break, and something in him cracked. A hairline fracture from that look in her eyes that she would really _mourn_ for him if anything happened.

_Not for you. Never for you __Inculta__._

"Careful." He teased. "You almost look-"

She pulled him into a kiss that was warm and desperate and so full of yearning that it took his breath away. But before he could grab her, she staggered out of his reach and motioned behind her.

"Go on then tiger." She said, breathlessly only making him groan. "Don't leave them Legion boys waiting." She gave him a teasing smile and wink as she backed away, a tantalising sway in her hips.

His hands clenched, wanting to seize her. To pin her against the house, unzip her suit and take one those breasts she liked to tease him with so much into his mouth, swirling his tongue and sucking on a pearled nipple to see how long it would take until she was writhing and whimpering under him. To be gasping and breathless and red and so magnificent that it would _ruin_ him.

He turned away and stormed towards the legionaries.

They wandered not far ahead, laughing and joking, heading towards the town's Inn and bar and his lust flipped to rage.

"I've seen many groups of legionary assassins in my time." He crooned. "But never any as sloppy as this."

The Vexillarius stiffened as if they had heard the voice of Pluto himself and the Decanus did the same. Yet the Veteran just laughed at Vulpes, looking among their fellow soldiers for support.

"I don't think you realise who you're-," The Veteran said, but the Decanus yanked him back before he could make an even larger fool out of himself.

"Master Inculta!" The Centurion exclaimed arms opened wide as if to embrace him. "Ave, true to Kai-zar!" He bowed his head and crossed one arm over his chest, just as the locals had been doing all morning. Seeing it repeated with the greeting was like slipping into a pair of well-worn boots. Comfortable and familiar.

Vulpes bowed his head without breaking eye contact but kept his mouth shut.

"M-Master..." The Veteran legionnaire stuttered and swallowed hard, his complexion leaning more towards grey. "My deepest apologies Master Inculta. I didn't-"

Vulpes gave the man an almost wolf-like grin. "Realise? _Clearly_. But no harm is done. Though if that's how you speak to the locals, I would suggest being...softer on them in the future. They're our own civilians after all, not NCR degenerates."

He bowed his head. "Of course Master Inculta."

The Centurian laughed. "What brings you out this way? Last I heard you were lurking around the Boulder City area."

"I could ask you the same thing, Centurion. You're a long way from the Fort."

The Centurion stood tall, proud.

"Lord Caesar has entrusted us to find and kill the Courier who butchered Nelson. But she's been locked up in Vegas for months. Hiding, I say after her toothless threat to our Lord. Yet recently we got news she's left her hiding place and was heading this way." The Centurian answered. "Seen with some new companion of hers. Male, the whore. Shouldn't be a problem for us."

Vulpes chuckled before he even finished the last line. "Be careful whose footsteps you follow Centurion. I'd be wary following ones that ended in a grave."

The Centurian just laughed. "What?"

"The last three contuberniums Lord Caesar sent her way said the same things you are. Before she butchered them."

"We don't plan to fall for her trick-"

"I doubt the others did either yet she managed regardless. Be wary Centurion."

Vulpes eyed the Legion hound, standing beside one of the men, focused and ready for its first order. Vulpes reached down and scratched behind the dog's ears before letting the canine sniff his hand and get used to his scent.

"You have a hound with you? While on an assassination mission? Don't believe that's regular procedure?"

"This is Nero. We picked him up at a safe house." The Decanus said. "He's to go back to the Fort, and we thought we'd bring him along. To help out. As you said, the Courier can be tricky."

Vulpes hummed in agreement, glad at least one of the group was thinking outside the box with missions but not that Jude was the one in their firing line.

One look at the dog, and it was clear the creature was old. Not past its prime but getting there which explained it being dumped in a safe house. Being sent back to Anthony to fix something.

Vulpes curled his bottom lip over his front bottom teeth and whistled a loud reverberating sound that made several of the men jump.

The hound stood to attention, its ears pricking, and as if it knew something the contubernium didn't, it plodded over to his side as if it was where he belonged.

"Hey!"

"I'll return him to the Fort when my work is done." Vulpes said.

"You can't just-"

"I can't what?" Vulpes warned, stepping closer to the man.

The Centurion stuttered and tried to answer, but all he managed was gibberish.

"I-I don't believe it's appro-"

"Appropriate? Coming from the man who allows his men to walk through citizen territory in uniform? Was that particular choice made out of laziness or just plain stupidity?"

"Sir-"

"I would recommend you consider your next words wisely _legionary_."

"I...It...I think-"

"You want to know what I think? That perhaps if you spent less time ogling the women in town you could lead your men better, _Centurion_."

Before the man could reply, Vulpes whistled again, a higher-pitched warbling tone that made the hound jumping to his feet.

The Centurian's face twisted.

"You-"

Vulpes laughed, cutting him off, just making the officer turn an even brighter red.

"I hope you manage your mission without a dog at your heel. Although, if you have any complaints I'm sure Lord Kai-zar would be happy to hear to them personally."

He turned and walked away laughing to himself, with the hound following.

"Oh," he turned as if he had forgotten to mention something, "If I ever see or hear of you walking around this town in uniform again, I will see to your _fustuarium_ myself, _Centurian_."

The Centurian went crimson but said nothing in return, just motioned for his men to follow him and continued their way onward towards the town's bar.

If he was lucky, they would find it and hunker down until he got Jude and left. He hoped they did attempt to speak to Caesar, pulling some story about Inculta's insolence like many had tried before them. Legionaries shooting themselves in the foot was always a great source of entertainment for both Caesar and himself.

He ducked into an alley, watching as the Legionaries turned into another street and waited for Jude to leave the general store yet she didn't, and she still hadn't five minutes later.

A sensation of unease pricked in his stomach.

"Stay."

Nero sat as told, panting happily.

The shop owner smiled as he walked in, but he was alone. Not one sign of Jude.

"Hello there! Welcome, to-Ah! Master Inculta! Good to-!"

"Did a woman come in here? Red hair? Blue vaultsuit?"

The owner didn't even bat an eyelid at the hard tone. Just kept smiling.

"She sure did! Nice lady. You must be that friend of her's she mentioned! If I had known I would have given her a discount!"

"Where. Is. She?"

"S-She went out the back way. Wanting to avoid some folks. Ain't one to judge of course. Said to tell you to meet her at the bar down the stree- Hey everything oka-?"

Vulpes slammed the door, his vision clouded and mind burning.

_What if they have her? What will you do?_

He grunted and whistled for Nero to come and the dog bounded to his side, following as he stormed towards the bar.

Jude wouldn't be so stupid as to let herself be seen. He would get there, and she would be-

A flash of blue darted from the street the Legionaries had turned down. Within a moment she barreled into him, spinning him and pulling him with her.

"We have to go!" She cried as the yells of Legion men echoed down the street.

He saw the flash of red and gold then heard them, screaming down the street in broken Latin.

Vulpes followed her.

The men didn't fire in the town, and no one came to either the soldiers' aid either or his own, instead, jumping away and hiding in shops as they ran passed.

_They'll follow her out of town to kill her there. They won't stop until she's dead._

Vulpes skidded to a halt, gripping Jude's hand tight. She staggered but stumbled back into a run down an alley which cut through the town. She darted off ahead while Vulpes stopped at the corner.

It was a gesture that was seconds long, his hand crossed in front of his chest, and head bowed yet in response, the Centurian and his men came to a staggering halt.

A beat passed between them then the Centurian mimicked him, reluctantly. An unspoken question passed between them, clear from the frown heavy on the Centurian's brow.

_What the fuck are you doing?_

Vulpes backed away and darted after Jude.

_They'll have a runner down to the Fort about it before the hour is up._

And Caesar would have the runner flayed for even suggesting Vulpes had fled. It wouldn't be the first time the claim had been made out of spite.

Yet Vulpes had never given Caesar so many reasons to doubt before.

_What are you doing Inculta?_

His chest sunk when she wasn't waiting for him just outside the town limits. He kept moving, looking behind anything and everything she could have ducked behind, but there was no sign of her blue jumpsuit.

"Foxx!"

He skidded to a halt, but before he stopped was enveloped into a tight hug.

"Oh thank god, I thought…" She didn't finish the thought, instead, burying her head into the crook of his neck. He melted into her arms, slipping his fingers into her hair and soothing her.

"I'm fine cricket."

"Where the hell were you?" Jude exclaimed. "You were right behind me then...then...!" She squeezed him tighter. "We have to go back."

"What?"

"We need to warn the town or-"

He grabbed her arms. "About?"

She was as white as a ghost and trembling. As if her body had dumped all of its adrenaline at once.

"Inculta." She whispered his name like it was a curse, swallowing hard. "He-he's there. In town _right now!_ I heard the soldiers say so! Even _they_ were scare...Fuck! We have to warn-"

He grabbed her. "No! We have to leave!"

"He burned down Nipton for less than this town gets up to!" She snapped. "I stood by at Nipton, but I won't stand by again."

"Nipton wasn't a Legion town!"

"You think that will _stop_ him? He'd kill a puppy for looking at him wrong! And why else would he be here? He's a _butcher_."

Vulpes grabbed her shoulders. "He can't burn a town down alone, Jude. We have to go."

She looked back to the settlement, but the fire in her eyes had softened to an ember. He pulled her along.

"_Jude_. Before they find us."

She didn't answer but didn't fight him.

"This feels wrong." She said, squeezing his hand.

It was Vulpes turn to stay quiet, watching as she kept looking back at the desolate town as if waiting for it to burst into flames.

He raised her hand to his lips.

"You'll get him. One day."

-/-/-/-/-/-


	10. Chapter 10-Ain't That a Kick in the Head

-/-/-/-/-/-

Vulpes almost found it amusing. The sight of a woman like the Courier who had been so set on running back into town to kill him, who he had seen drowned in the blood of her enemies, stood before him, whimpering at the very thought of killing a dog.

The sun was setting over Jacobstown, making the several inches of snow sparkle with orange flames, as if made up of individual jewels. It was only themselves and Nero amidst the snow and the groaning of the Bighorners. He didn't count the Nightkin that he always saw outside, caring for the Bighorns like they were children.

There was a strange peace up in the mountain as if the snow and trees enclosed them into their own little bubble where the sound had been muted. Even the air seemed crisper, untainted by the degeneracy of Vegas.

Vulpes stood back from Jude, waiting for her to say it.

She clung to the Liberator while Nero lay on a workbench as if he were sleeping. She shivered, despite the thick coat she got in Sunnyvale and squeezed the handle, raising the blade again.

"Fuck." She dropped her arm. "I can't do it!"

"Took you that long to figure out did it?"

She pulled at her hair and groaned.

Vulpes couldn't help but laugh, shoving his hands into the pockets of his own winter coat. "You've known it for not even two days!"

"You shouldn't have told me his name! _Fuck_."

"I wouldn't let it get out that's all it takes for you to get attached. Or you'll have every degenerate out there introducing themselves before they try to stab you in the back."

Jude didn't reply.

"Do you want me to-"

"No! I...I can…" She trailed off, stroking Nero's fur. She sighed and handed Vulpes the blade. "Just make it quick for him?"

She looked so small, like a baby bird with a broken wing, that he couldn't help but take the Liberator from her.

Nero appeared at peace laying on the workbench yet Vulpes was still unsure if it had been right to dose him with Med-X, or if it would have been better to give him a fighting chance. Despite being old, he was healthy like all Legion bred hounds. Well trained, though Vulpes expected little less from one taught by Anthony. The animal had protected them over the past two days, cuddled with Jude as she slept and been a loyal companion. It felt like a betrayal to end it at the end of a machete that the creature didn't even get to see coming. As if he were nothing more than meat on a butcher's block.

"Harder when you're standing there, ain't it?"

Jude smiled sadly at him, shivering with the cold. Vulpes gripped the handle tighter.

"You don't have to look."

"Feels worse if I don't."

It was over in moments. Jude squealed and looked away. She couldn't even look at Vulpes as he lifted the head to take to Dr Henry.

"You go ahead." She said. "Got something I want to do first."

Dr Henry was pleased with their choice, more so than their initial plan to get a dog from the Fiend, Violet.

"Glad you went with Legion." Dr Henry said. "Good strong dogs. Well looked after. Will be what Rex needs. Though won't ask how you managed to get one."

The doctor eyed Vulpes over the rim of his glasses, a faint smile on his lips.

"How long will the procedure take?"

"I'll get this brain out tonight. Start the procedure with Rex tomorrow. Recovery will be around three to four days. I'll need to get Rex to perform some basic motor function test daily. Make sure everything is still rattling around okay in there."

Four days was all Vulpes heard. Four days practically alone with Jude in the glorious mountains was more than he could have wished for.

"Does the Courier mind if I keep her little EyeBot for a little longer tonight?" Dr Henry asked. "He's been a great help with my research and-"

"I'm sure she'll be fine with it." Vulpes replied. "I'll let her know."

The doctor nodded and turned away without another word, a habit Vulpes realised was just his custom after he spoke with him a few times. Vulpes rolled his eyes and out into the foyer, where several giant blue Nightkin stood, facing the walls.

"Oh, Mr Foxx?"

A rough, deep voice called to him.

Vulpes resisted the urge to flinch. The female ghoul - her skin flaking and peeling, what little of her red hair in patches on her head - followed him out of Doctor Henry's office. She smiled at him, revealing yellowing teeth and he smiled back.

"Calamity right?"

She grinned wider.

"Yeah! You remembered! Oh um...well Marcus went and organised a room for you and Jude while you stay here. He left the key at the reception desk. Saves you both sleeping in those sleeping bags like the last time. Plus keeps you out of the way of the Nightkin. No offence."

"None taken."

From the moment Jude and himself had arrived, the Nighkin in the lodge had been antsy about being seen, craving StealthBoys in order to hide themselves from view. Vulpes didn't understand why they didn't just let them do so, but Jude seemed to get it, encouraging Doctor Henry's experiments and talking with him about it when she first arrived. Before he broke the news that they had to go right back out again and bring him a brain if they wanted Rex fixed.

She hadn't been as friendly towards him after that.

Calamity nodded and shuffled in place.

"Well...see you later."

Vulpes eyes narrowed as she ran back into the office, and a shiver went down his spine.

"Foxx!" Jude jumped on him, clinging to his arm. "You have a lighter, right?"

Somehow he didn't like where it was going.

She had gathered what dry wood and leaves she could find and built Nero a pyre on a gathering of stones where there wasn't any snow.

"I remembered Arcade saying that in Roman times they would cremate people? Don't know if the Legion are into that shit or if this is like... offensive to them? To cremate an animal? But to be honest...don't care just don't want to...dump him?"

Jude looked at Vulpes, wringing her hands and waiting for his opinion like a school child.

It all sounded superfluous. Something a child would ask for, in order to hope their pets death had meant something. Definitely something beneath her, and he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it. It was like watching a doctor who was unable to treat a papercut.

She was a natural-born killer, yet mourned as if she were prey.

Vulpes sighed and pulled the lighter out of his pocket.

"I bet he'll appreciate it."

She grinned and pecked him on the cheek.

Within minutes the pyre burned bright in the mid-evening darkness.

"Thank you." She whispered, taking his hand.

For a while they just stood there, watching the flames dance as it got darker and darker in less than half an hour.

"It's been a busy few days. We should get some rest." He said, starting to feel the chill in his bones.

She nodded but didn't move. "I'll follow you in a bit."

"Marcus got us a room."

"That's nice." She said, half listening.

He rubbed her shoulder and left her like that, hoping she wouldn't regress any further by the time he found her again.

As soon as he walked into the room, he was greeted with a large king-sized bed, and he gave a small thank you to Mars. As much of a monstrosity as Marcus was, he at least had sense. On either side sat two bedside tables with ornate table lamps that lit the room, ready for their arrival. There was one window facing out into the back on the left-hand side whereas on the other wall sat a dressing table and vanity. Stuck in the corner on the back wall was a large wardrobe as if pushed into any old place and just left.

The room was respectable as if it had been left alone from before the war yet cleaned remarkably well for a place full of Nightkin and only one human.

Vulpes left their pack's and the end of the bed and ran his hand over the soft fabric, holding back a groan at the thought of Jude laying stark naked on the sheets.

_Or pulling you into the bathroom to join her in the shower? _

He rubbed his thumb over his lips, unable to stop grinning at the thought. Already tasting her.

_Too bad she'll be screaming for someone else, right __Inculta__?_

He flinched and bit down hard on his lip.

_It's __Foxx __she's fucking. The profligate. Not Vulpes Inculta. The Butcher of Nipton. _

Vulpes clenched and unclenched his hand, his skin buzzing as if tiny insects were trying to take off from underneath.

_She doesn't even know you. You saw the look in her eyes when she thought you were in Sunnyvale. _

He slipped off his coat and threw it on the bed, storming into the bathroom.

_She was ready to __kill__ you._

The lukewarm water did little to help, his heart thumping against his chest, but it shut the voice up. He stared at himself in the grimy mirror, water dripping down his face and for a moment didn't recognise the person before him. It wasn't the head of Caesar's Frumentarii staring back but some confused profligate. It was like looking at himself back when he was a boy, still hanging onto the faint memories of his tribe before Caesar came. The boy who hoped that one day they would return for him.

Vulpes expression darkened. He splashed his face with water again then switched on the shower. His clothes were stained with Nero's blood along with dirt from their trip up from Red Rock. While the water was only lukewarm, it got rid of the worse of the grime, and he could feel it melt away the tension in his shoulders and the image of that confused profligate in the mirror with it.

He was drying off when the door to the room opened and closed.

"Jude?" He called, but she didn't answer.

The tension he thought had drifted down the drain returned, weighing on his shoulders. He slipped back into the same pants and stepped out, drying his hair with a towel.

"Jude is that...?"

She sat on the bed, her eyes far away as if she had heard something terrible.

"Is everything okay?" He asked. "Is it Rex? Is the brain-"

"Where did you get this?"

She held it up as if he should know, yet it took his brain a moment to click that it was a lighter. Then several more, that it was his.

He chuckled, continuing to rough dry his hair. "What do you mean?"

"It's an NCR lighter? Strange for you to have one." Her eyes flickered to his bare chest then back to his face, trying her best not to react.

Vulpes shrugged. "A lighter's a lighter. Don't pay attention to what's on them. Go through so many I can't afford to."

Jude frowned.

He threw the towel into the corner and slipped his hair away from his face. It had gotten longer during his time in Freeside while already being too long before he left the Fort, leaving it a little shaggy and needing to be pushed out of his face.

"Is there a problem?"

She fiddled with the item, flicking the lid open and closed with a metallic clink.

"The men who attacked the locals at Freeside. They claimed someone spoke to them before it. Told them the men were Legion."

_Shit._

"You went and saw them without me?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Didn't realise I had to do everything with you? Was in the area at the time anyway. Too good an opportunity."

_Liar._

There hadn't been a moment of her time he hadn't accounted for somehow. Had she suspected? Had she really even gone alone?

_Bet she took the Sniper. Get the NCR boys talking._

Vulpes cracked his jaw, watching her face.

"It...it all just sounded so weird? NCR are assholes but at the very least level headed ones. Just seemed so reactionary rather than their usual scream for cooperation."

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "There was a young one. A private...he mentioned the guy they spoke to asked for a light. But never gave the lighter back…Did tell him that ain't much as they all look the same, but he said I'd know it... I'd know it by its inscription." She clicked it closed again and threw the lighter to him.

Vulpes snatched it out of the air and right enough on the back was a small inscription he hadn't noticed before.

_For Pete. Love Mom. _

_Shit._

Vulpes chuckled. "I can't even remember where I picked this up."

Jude's had turned dark. "Convenient."

"You really thinking it was me?"

"Was it?"

"Cricket-"

She stood without warning as if there was too much built-up energy in her body for sitting alone to contain. "Foxx..._ don't_."

Vulpes tried to grab, but she slipped away from his grasp, pacing the room.

"I went straight to Julie," Vulpes explained, trying to catch her eyes. "I never saw any NCR soldiers the entire walk up. Jude please." He grabbed her shoulders, holding her. "What would I have gotten out of it?"

"You got me involved in the drama with the Kings. You got what you wanted cause of it."

"I swear to you, I didn't set anything up." He kissed the palm of her hand, half expecting her to move away but she didn't. "You think the guy who did it would be dumb enough to hold onto it? He must have dumped it, and I'm just the fool who picked it up. Now, you can be the hero who gives it back to the guy?"

He could see the conflict in her eyes. Wanting to believe him.

_Go on cricket. You know you want to. _

"_Promise_ me, Foxx?" She asked, her voice small. "_Please_."

"Of course, sweetheart."

She sighed and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him. He squeezed her tight and smirked into her hair.

_You'll forgive this. One day._

"I'm sorry I just…"

"It's been a very long week." He said. "How about you go and have a shower. Relax."

She nodded but didn't separate from him. "I'm glad you came with me."

He kissed her hand, managing to get a smile out of her.

"I'll still be here when you get out. Go."

She did as she was told, taking her pack with her.

Vulpes sighed in relief as the shower started.

The lighter felt heavy and cold in his hands, and he couldn't believe how stupid he'd been keeping it. Like some morbid souvenir. He should have just gotten a new one and thrown it into Lake Mead as soon as possible. He was almost tempted to toss it out the window, but he'd already made to the suggestion to return it.

_And if she wants to take you? If they see your face? _

It had been so dark there was no way they could recognise him. No way.

Yet something niggled. Wondering if they would. If Jude really didn't believe he was the culprit or was just biding her time.

_Then make sure to fuck her good enough she doesn't want to give you up._

Somehow he didn't see that plan working.

By the time he heard the water switch off, he was like a coiled spring. He couldn't sit still, pacing like a Yaogaui caught in a cage but he didn't want her seeing that. Instead, he sat at the vanity, his leg twitching.

He couldn't speak at the sight of her.

"God that feels so much better!" She exclaimed, dumping her stuff at the end of the bed. "Better than washing in a cold creak again."

She bent over, and he covered his mouth to stop from groaning, his mind going white, sure he caught a glimpse of her perfect ass and more, sans underwear.

_Doesn't look like she's that mad fox-face._

She kept blathering on, but everything sounded like white noise.

"Are you wearing that...on purpose?" He asked, his voice low.

Jude stopped mid-sentence and grinned as if unaware of the maelstrom she was causing in his head.

"My clothes were dirty. I needed to wear something."

He didn't even notice he'd stood, stepping behind her and slipping his hands around her waist, groaning at how thin the material was separating him from her. Her hair was in a mess of a bun, revealing her soft neck to him, along with red scars that reached up from her back like tendrils.

"You won't be wearing it for long." He whispered, his lips against one of her scars. He nipped at the curve, a spot he'd realised she found a particularly sensitive, revelling in the gasps trickling from her mouth. He moaned with her, his kisses getting more urgent, his skin engulfed in flame. All thoughts melted away, replaced with the scent of her nettle soap, and sound of her wanting in his ears. He clung to the soft silk of her slip, teasing it up her hips.

Then someone knocked on the door.

Vulpes groaned but didn't stop, capturing her mouth with his and drawing her closer. Her touch worked like a balm, soothing the wild storm that had been raging in his chest.

The door went again, louder this time.

Jude tried to pull away, to slip her fingers from out of his hair and deny him of the heat he needed. Vulpes growled.

"They'll go away." He stole another kiss.

Then they knocked again.

Jude shook her head and tried to push him away, giggling. "What if...what if it's import-"

She melted into his mouth, and for a moment he thought he'd won, but she snapped out of it, ducking out of his grasp.

It took him a moment to realise what she had done. All he registered was a terrible ache, a knawing emptiness that hit him like a freight train.

_She ain't leavin' you like the tribe did kid._

His throat felt tight, burning as if there was something stuck.

"I'll be back in a sec-"

He grabbed her and pulled her back, sitting her on the end of the bed. "Not dressed like that you aren't."

She looked up at him, confused and waiting for the punch line.

"You're kidding, right?"

Vulpes didn't answer, backing towards the door which knocked again, louder.

"Don't be such a prude!" She laughed. "There are women on the Strip who wear less than this!"

"That's because they're whores. Unlike you."

She frowned, glaring at him as if he'd said something strange.

Vulpes paid it no mind and opened the door.

Calamity stammered for several words, unable to take her eyes off Vulpes chest which made him feel the need for another shower.

"Just returning ED-E." She managed out after clearing her throat, not that it did much for her gravelly voice. "Dr Henry said to say thanks for letting us borrow him."

ED-E whirred and floated into the room. Vulpes could already feel his blood pressure rising.

"He's welcome. Now if you excuse me…"

"He managed to extract the dog brain successfully for tomorrow. I...I saw Jude cremating the poor thing and just thought she would like to know he didn't die for nothin'." She gave a half-hearted grin and fidgetted. "Well, I'll leave you guys alone. Night!"

And she was gone.

He closed the door a little harder than needed, feeling his eye twitching.

He could hear the damned robot flying about, beeping at Jude as if telling her about what he'd done when separated from her and she nodded in return though more absent to the conversation than usual. As if she were only half-listening, Jude rifled through her pack she'd moved to the vanity, pulling out the supplies she got from Sunnyvale.

"The robot isn't staying." He warned.

Jude stopped and laughed as if he were the crazy one. "I think he is."

"He can go outside."

"With the Nightkin? You really going to put a robot that looks like an _eye_ out with a bunch of creatures that don't like being looked at?"

"He can stay with Henry."

"He just returned him!"

"And?"

"It would be announcing that we're... y'know.?"

"Who's the prude now?"

"Why don't you want him in? Can someone not perform under pressure?"

He chuckled but changed tactics, getting closer. "How is it he activates kill mode again?"

"I don't know? When people try to kill me?"

"Or when you scream?" He offered with a grin.

Jude started to laugh then it clicked, and she turned bright red, pressing her lips together, looking at the bot the same way she had Nero before they injected him with Med-X.

"This feels so wrong." She grumbled. "Come on, ED-E."

Vulpes smirked as she closed the blasted thing in the bathroom, looking more like she had sentenced it to death.

"You better be worth it, Mr Foxx." She teased, nudging him on her way past back to the vanity.

"How about I show you?" He offered, slipping his arms around her from behind again.

Jude just chuckled, leaning into him but there was a twinge of something else in it. The vanity was no longer bare but covered with what was left of what she had found or bought during their trip. The ammo and food and been used quick, and once they got further up the mountain, they began using the winter coats. There were also new magazines she had yet to read, weapons she picked up just to sell later, some junk well. Yet he hadn't seen the souveniers. The town and the ridiculous mascot of their's wasn't exactly the Legion way, but that had been why the place chose to support themselves. No one would ever believe such a quirky town with its mad tourist attraction, and odd names could be Legion. Even with their main souvenir being a golden bull.

"You picked up a souvenir I see?" He said, kissing her neck.

Jude didn't reply. Just stared at the small statue as if she saw something different.

"Did we do the right thing?" She asked after several more moments of silence. "Leaving them? To _him_?"

Hearing her say it like that cut him to the bone. Even without mentioning his name, he knew who she meant. But a question sat on his tongue, begging to be spoken.

"You're still thinking about _it_? Or about _him_?"

It was as if she were standing outside in the freezing cold the way she froze. She turned to him, smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"I...I…"

"When I found you, it was as if you'd seen a ghost," he added. "I've never seen you so…"

"He...I have a strange relationship with him."

He tried to recall anything that would help it make sense. As far as he was aware, they'd only come face to face with each other twice. In Nipton and Nelson. Hearing her refer to those few interactions as a 'strange relationship' hit something in him the same way a knock to the funny bone did.

"Relationship?"

"Not like that!" She wiggled out of his arms, laughing.

"You said it."

"Because it's the only word I can think describes it. I've only met him twice and yet he...Facing him….He's pulled things out of me I never even knew existed. As if he sees something in me and wants me to see it too and..." Jude picked at her nails, "I'm afraid of the things he sees." She admitted. "Of what he could use. And I...I don't want…" She swallowed hard. "I don't want to know any more. Not yet. Not when I..." She stopped, her voice breaking.

He clasped her hand between his own.

"I don't know who I am, Foxx." She admitted, her voice so soft. "But what if _he_ does? What if he really does see me better than I do? If that's why he gets under my skin so easily?"

_I do, Jude._

Vulpes shushed her, pulling her into his arms.

"You're safe with me, cricket."

She gripped him tighter.

"I'm glad you're here."

Vulpes grinned. "So am I." He kissed her forehead and untangled himself from her arms. "No more talk of Vulpes Inculta tonight."

From the bathroom, ED-E beeped, but neither of them appeared to notice.

She nodded and the side of her mouth upturned, then her hands were on the back of his neck, her sweet lips dancing against his before he'd even taken another breath.

Vulpes brain exploded with white, his fingers clinging to the edges of her slip that had ridden up, almost revealing too much.

"Get the light." She breathed and pushed him off.

Vulpes stumbled back, grinning as she shifted up onto the bed waiting for him, her long, athletic legs crying out to him, begging to be wrapped around his head.

With the main light off it left just the two sidelights on either side, making it feel even more like a dream. Vulpes couldn't take his eyes off her, slowly getting closer, his chest thudding, feeling full and tight, ready to burst till he was at the end of the bed.

His fingers ached to grab one of her legs, to pull her closer and finally feel her heat.

ED-E beeped again.

"_I didn't. ED-E told me that was his name….What happened here?"_

It was Jude's voice, distorted in the static, sounding as if it were coming from a radio, but _Jude_ was the star of the show. Jude bolted upright, looking between Foxx and the bathroom door.

The robot.

"_Oh don't worry, I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these…degenerates. It's actually useful that you happened by..."_

There had been a time one of his trainers had turned their Power Fist on Vulpes. Hit him straight in the chest. It was as if his very essence had been punched out of him, leaving him to hover above his body, as if all time merged into one singular moment, making him breathless yet desperate to gasp air in at the same time.

"_I was just finishing up making an example of this town. Delivering a sermon if you will."_

She met his eyes, her own tinted read and pleading as she searched his face for something. Anything that would explain away what she was hearing. Soothe away her fears like he always did.

Vulpes couldn't say a word.

Without looking away from him, she slinked off the bed, as if he couldn't see her.

_Jude... don't._

"_I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton, to memorise every detail. And then, when you move on?"_

Her eyes flickered to the bedroom door.

_Please._

"_I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson that KAI-zar's Legion taught here, especially any NCR troops you run across."_

Vulpes swallowed, hard, bracing himself.

"Jude-"

Then she darted to the door.

-/-/-/-/-/-

AN: Don't know of anyone is interested but created a wee Spotify playlist for this fic I thought I'd share that helps me a lot when writing. Can find it on my profile or on my Tumblr page which is also on my .profile.

Will update it as I go along as if I add them in advance it may spoil future events!  
Hope you like it :D


	11. Chapter 11 - Send in the Clowns

A/N: Finally! I know! Took me long enough! So sorry! Hope the wait was worth it?

Some trigger warnings: Smut, physical violence, manipulation, and Vuples Inculta being a major asshole (you have been warned!)

Also, have a wee note at the end about that last point so please read that for more elaboration on it if you care :).

Anyway, hope you enjoy! Oh! And big thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed even though I went awol! I will get back to whose who reviewed (at these those I can do) like I always do!

Your support means so much to me and I hope the story continues to entertain :)

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The adrenaline hit his system and time slowed, leaving him with an imprint of her pleading, sad eyes. Of the betrayal and the pain.

Then came the rage.

She was _leaving_ him.

Vulpes shot after her.

_"Where to begin?"_

She was fast. But Vulpes was faster. He was in front of the door within seconds, and if it had taken her brain a second longer to realize, she would have run straight into him. But she did notice, yelping and springing back, almost stumbling over her feet.

_"That they are weak, and we are strong?"_

It was as if he were a leper or some irradiated feral ghoul that would make her skin rot away if his fingers even grazed her. As if she hadn't mewled in delight as he sucked her neck. As if she hadn't virtually cried at the thought of Vulpes inside her.

"_This much was known already."_

He snatched at her, but she leapt back then up onto the bed, scrambling over the mattress and almost tumbling over the other side.

Vulpes dove forward, grabbing her ankle and yanked her back, sending her face-first into the bedding with a thud and a grunt. He clambered on top of her before she could move, pinning her arms down but she squirmed and kicked and bucked, trying desperately to cry out through the sheets.

_"But the depths of their moral sickness, their...dissolution?"_

"Stop _fighting_ and just-" Her elbow connected with the side of his face. His sight exploded with small stars and lip went numb, but he didn't let go, and she didn't stop. Vulpes couldn't help but laugh, trying to hold her down but she was like a rabbit caught in a trap, bucking for life. She hit him again and again, each one creating more stars and taking the breath from him before he could catch it.

_"Nipton serves as the perfect object lesson."_

He shifted, and she took the chance, shoving him off her with all her weight and throwing him off the bed, slamming his back into the vanity.

_"What do you mean?"_

With a grunt, he pushed himself up, his fingers missing her by a hair's breadth as she rolled off the other side of the bed. Then both of them stopped. Just staring at each other in a strange mutual time-out.

Her chest heaved, slip askew, her eyes heavy and pained as she caught his own and struggled to her feet. As if she didn't believe what was happening. That he just had to stop, and it would be okay.

Vulpes reached out, his throat tight and burning. "Jude-"

She darted to the door, Vulpes on her tail.

_"You want this man to suffer. Terribly. A hatred that strong must have history?"_

She just managed to grab the door handle as he grabbed a fist full of her hair.

Vulpes yanked back, and Jude yelped in protest.

_"Not just him, him and his' friends'. The whole rotten lot of them."_

Her fingers clawed, while his mind was consumed with rage till all he could see was red, his nails almost scraping at her scalp.

"Fox-!"

Vulpes wrenched her head back and slammed it into the wall.

_"That town didn't deserve what you did to them. Those kids didn't deserve it. Children maimed. Because of them. Because of their bombs."_

Jude went limp, crumpling into his arms, dazed and confused like a young child. She groaned, but he hushed her like a parent would a fussing toddler, and pinned her against the wall.

It went so fast his mind couldn't comprehend it, like watching a sandstorm sweep through a town, hitting everyone and everything in its path. Then just as soon as it arrived, it was over, the wind settling to a stillness that was almost more threatening than the storm itself. Vulpes knew how to handle a storm, but stood cold, unable to remember what to do once it was over.

_"Disgusting towns even still let them in, isn't it? They still serve them and in the end, become tainted by them, and Nipton was one of the worst offenders of them all."_

Vulpes gritted his teeth. The robot was still going. Still reciting his crime in Nipton like an epitaph. It was the first time Vulpes had ever heard his own voice, and it sounded unnatural. Like a contradiction. Yet Jude's reaction was a confirmation that the cold yet warm and inviting voice coming through the metal robot was what everyone else heard. Even when he was Foxx.

Vulpes gritted his teeth. "ED-E! Can you shut the _fuck up-_"

Jude jabbed her head forward, hitting him square in the forehead. Her eyes went glassy. A gasp and whimper cried out of her, and it was as if her body shut down. She slumped, resting it on his shoulder as she panted heavy, her throat sounding dry and ragged, mixing with his own struggling breathing.

Jude groaned, tipping her head back to glare at him. Her eyes were dark, almost black with a hatred he had only seen reserved for people who were about to die by her hand.

He wanted to make her stop. Demand she quit looking at him as if he had done any wrong by her. He had helped her. He had-

"You're a _monster_." She spat, voice full of venom.

He squeezed her arms tight but tried to keep his expression calm.

"Jude please-"

"You _promised_ me."

"It isn't what it seems like."

_Good Fox face. Keep denying._

"Isn't it?"

Vulpes laughed, but it sounded fake, even to him. "Are you really going to condemn me over some recording that happens-"

"You _really_ going to deny it? Try and convince me that _wasn't_ you?"

"It isn't-"

"Don't," Jude warned, shoving his arms. "You say anything other than the truth, and I won't stop trying to escape you."

Vulpes paused, stopping further lies from leaving his mouth. His instinct told him to keep on track. He could hold her all night if needed. Until she believed him. It was the safe option, and yet an admission sat on the tip of his tongue.

Jude didn't waver, her gaze steady and muscles tense under her slip. He was suddenly very aware of how thin the item of clothing was and how much he wanted to continue where they had left off. But also of how she would never be able to stomach his touch again if he admitted who he was.

"_Please_." The sound shocked him. Sounding like a weak and pathetic imitation of Jude yet it _was_ her, looking up at him with her huge brown eyes as if he were her last hope.

_She won't forgive you. Don't fall for it._

Vulpes chuckled. "You _know_ me, Jude. How could I-"

She laughed or perhaps sobbed. It sounded so broken and drowned in pain he couldn't tell which, and despite the grin, her eyes begged him.

"Fuck..."

"Just give me-"

She didn't let him finish, pushing and shoving against him, trying to kick and hit but she was pinned.

_"Fuck you!"_

He shoved her back, hard. "You need to calm down before you hurt yourself further!"

"You actually can't help yourself!"

"Jude-"

"You won't even do me the decency-"

"Listen to-"

"_Fuck_ you!" She exclaimed, trying to shove him off again.

Vulpes held his tongue. His fingers itching to grab her throat and show her the position she was in. Show her how easily he could end her.

"I should have killed you in Nipton." She spat, her voice wavering, her eyes welling up.

"Jude, listen to what you're saying!"

"I know what I heard!"

"Through a door and from a damaged robot? I could hardly hear it, nevermind recognize the voice!"

"Don't _fucking_ lie! Haven't you done enough? You can't even find it in yourself to not-"

"Don't you think the real Inculta would have killed you by now?"

"Exactly. Why haven't you?"

"For fuck sake!"

"You've had plenty of chances. What made Caesar send you? This his way of messing with me?"

"Jude-"

"Do you really think I'm that stupid! I _see_ you now! You can't go back to hiding like the _snake_ you are!"

"What can I do to convince-"

"_Nothing_! You _lost_ Inculta! Just let me go!" She screamed in frustration and shoved against him. "How do you expect me to believe anything you say? I don't even _know_ you!"

"You do. You _know_ you do."

"Was everything a lie? Some half-baked truth to manipulate the _stupid, feable_ minded Courier?" She begged, tears trickling down her face with every blink. Her next words were whispered, so soft and delicate it almost broke him. "What do you want from me?"

Vulpes pressed his lips together. He almost prefered her, shouting. At least that he could fight with, while her question just hung in the air. The truth on his tongue like a curse, ready to destroy him. Fingers aching to continue where ED-E had stopped them and forget any of it had happened. To lose himself in her body. If only for a time.

The longer his silence, the more she narrowed her eyes, the gears turning in her head.

"Is this something to do with the Platinum Chip? Don't tell me he wants it too? Well, sorry not sorry, but I don't know anything about it other than Benny has it."

Vulpes gritted his teeth as if it would stop him from speaking, but the words poured out like bile.

"Lord Kai-zar has no interest in that Chip you carried for House."

Jude weakened. Her expression crumpled, and he heard the sharp intake of breath, yet her eyes just questioned, searching his face for her answers as if it would explain how she never saw it before.

Vulpes closed his eyes.

_She'll never forgive._

"Fuck." She breathed out. "_Fuck_!"

"You're taking it better than expected."

"_Fuck_. _You_."

Vulpes grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes, and leaned forward, his breath tickling her ear.

"You were willing to only moments ago."

The mere thought of what they had done - of her keening and moaning from his wanting mouth on her skin - turned her the colour of Red Rock Canyon.

"That was before."

"You say that as if you wouldn't now." He kept his voice low, trailing his nose down the edge of her jaw. Jude stiffened yet her body canted towards him.

"I-" she gasped, tilting her head up and he wasn't one to refuse such a generous offer. He brushed his lips against the hollow, nipping to make her gasp, the tremor shaking through her and a soft groan slipping from her sweet lips. He slid his leg in between her own, pressing it up and against her heat, not missing how her hips rocked over and over until she got a hold of her senses. His cock burned, rubbing against the inside of his pants and aching to be freed.

Jude swallowed hard, her jaw tense. He wanted to push her further. To lean down and take one of her pearled nipples that he could feel pressed against his bare chest, into his mouth and suck hard until she was moaning his name.

His _real_ name.

Until she was begging him to take her, his hand clasped around her throat.

Her eyes burned into his and never had he seen as much hatred in her eyes. "Caesar must be truly desperate to send _you_ to kill me,"

His lips ghosted over her own.

"I'm not here to kill you." Before he even finished the sentence, a cold and hard laugh barked from her throat.

"Of course, you aren't."

"If I wanted you dead, you would be dead already."

She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him as if glaring would allow her to see right through him. Through his lies.

"Yet here I stand."

Vulpes grinned. "Here you stand."

"Why?"

Vulpes paused, smirking softly to himself.

"Curiosity."

"Brahmin shit."

"Are you going to behave now?"

"What could he want from me after everything I've done?"

She didn't wait for him to give her a non-answer before trying to puzzle it out in her head, her expression distant as she tried to connect dots and make sense of something that even Vulpes could admit made no sense. Because it wouldn't. Couldn't.

_You should have told him._

And as Jude's mind brought her to weird and strange resolutions, it was clear even she didn't believe herself. Didn't want to.

Her expression collapsed, as if unsure to be confused or angry.

"Does Caesar…even _know_?"

Vulpes couldn't respond, which was a response within itself. Jude's face shifting through a multitude of emotions before landing on disbelief. As if even she would have expected him to be so stupid.

"He doesn't...does he?"

Vulpes grit his teeth. The shame, heavy.

He could see her trying to shunt rusted gears in her head as if he were speaking a different language that she had to decipher, and even when she had begun to, the words were gibberish. She tried to speak, opening her mouth several times but no sound escaped.

She just stared. Watching as if that alone would explain.

"What do you want, Inculta?"

Vulpes bit down on his cheek as she scanned him as if she were able to see into his mind and knew whether he was telling the truth or not. Yet he kept his expression neutral. Even as his body ached to have her. To just take her like he knew they both wanted. Make her scream for _him_.

_You should have told him._

Vulpes bit down till he drew blood and focused. Focused on her face, on anything he could use - his gaze lingering on her soft lips - before finding what he needed. An uncertainty filling her expression, part of her that was choosing to talk with Vulpes despite knowing his name. That he was Legion. That through all the bluster and bravado, she was looking for answers. Looking for a reason. Any reason to be able to stay.

With him.

Her breath was shaky as if she didn't want to know the answer.

"Why didn't you tell him? Why didn't you tell Caesar?"

Vulpes grinned and leaned into her neck, taking in the scent of the nettle soap on her skin.

"I have my reasons."

Jude shifted under him, swallowing hard before an uneasy chuckle trickled out between her soft lips.

"Ah, fuck. I get it. Couldn't leave without _fucking_ me, right? Need to be able to gloat to Caesar you managed to get close enough to _fuck_ the stupid Courier right?" She circled her hips, catching his tender hard cock and almost causing him to double over in need.

"Have you thought about it often?" She whispered in his ear, her warm heat rolling towards him again and making his mind go barren. "Fucking me?"

He growled and forced her hips back, pinning them to the wall. She moaned, like something from the very depths of Gomorrah and he became even more aware of his cock, pressed against her heat that was only getting hotter, almost burning.

"I'd be _very, very_ careful with what you say next, _Courier_."

Her eyes searched his, glassy and wanting. In a flash, her expression switched to something almost animalistic, filled with an intensity he had only seen when she held the Liberator in one hand and the head of Dead Sea in the other.

"Or what?" She whispered back, her breath and lips hot against his ear. He pressed his teeth together, holding back a guttural sound from deep in his throat. "Will you have to...punish me?"

His mind went white, blanked out like static on a radio then filled with one image. Of his perfect Courier, bent over the bed or over his knee, and moaning like the degenerate she was as he struck her bare ass, hard enough to leave a mark.

"Fuck." He muttered under his breath, his skin on fire. His hands slid down her hard arms, the side of her soft breasts to grip at her waist, craving and wishing to fall to the temptation at least one time. To push her tantalizingly short slip, up and out of his way and slip his fingers into her heat. To curl them forward until she was bucking and mewling in delight.

Till she came, calling his name in desperate, begging gasps.

Her fingers slid into his hair, and her lips were so soft he forgot what he was thinking. What he was trying to achieve.

_Take her. She wants it. Needs it._

"Do you want to know which of them were cowards, Inculta?"

Vulpes stiffened.

"Which of your big, strong Legion soldiers ran like children when it came to die for their cause? The ones who _begged_ me to spare their lives?"

He squeezed her waist tighter, wanting to shove her off, but his need forced him to keep her close.

He was so close...

"Jude...stop"

"I should really thank you." Her fingers played with the strands of hair at the back of his neck, her voice laced with poison. "Your decimation of Nipton was the inspiration for Nelson after all" She gripped his hair, not unlike how he had seized her's, the sensation shooting down the back of his neck like electric shocks he didn't want to stop.

"And soon it will be the inspiration for when I bring the NCR Caesar's _fucking_ head."

It was as if he'd been doused in ice.

Vulpes thrust her back up against the wall, clenching his jaw tight as she cackled manically.

"Shut your mouth, you profligate-"

"_Oh,_ that word must have been itching at your lips since that first night in the Wrangler. How much has it killed you to hold it back? Although," she grinned and rolled her hips into his, hard cock. He snarled and gripped her tighter, wanting to do nothing more than return the favour with interest until she begged him to stop. "You haven't exactly been the pinnacle of Legion values, have you? _Vulpes_?"

Hearing his name on her lips, pronounced precisely as he had told her in Nipton, only added to the inferno, like alcohol to a garbage fire. Yet the heat was so addictive, and each time he felt it, he needed it hotter. More. As if he never got enough while never knowing what enough would be or if there even was such a thing. Just that he craved it.

"Frumentarii do what they must to blend in."

"So it's a fancy word for a male _whore_ then?"

He shoved himself as close as he could, wrapping his fingers around her throat, teeth bared like a wild animal trying to hold on to some semblance of control.

Jude just smiled yet it didn't reach her eyes. As she clung to his hand at her neck, staring him down as if trying to convince herself more than him that she found it all funny.

"Go on." She said. "Do it. You know you want to." She sniffed, trying to keep her expression blank but the pain leaked out like water from a burst pipe.

He lessened his grasp but didn't let go.

"I hate you." She choked through clenched teeth.

Vulpes sighed. "Now we both know that isn't true, cricket."

"Feels pretty true right now."

Vulpes sighed, stroking her face with a free hand, almost as a partner would.

"I know."

He felt her swallowed hard under his hand, almost making him groan.

"Why haven't you told him?"

Vulpes sighed, nuzzling her neck and jaw. Her hips bucked as if of their own accord and a terrible idea crossed his mind. He grinned and kissed her neck just as he had done before ED-E. His tongue tasting sweat and soap and feeling the feverish heat of her sweet skin.

Jude gasped, soon replaced with the most wanton moan he had heard from her all night. Her leg kicked up and around his own which he grabbed as he sucked and nipped on the sensitive skin, his hand slowly rising up to squeeze her round ass.

"In-Inculta!" She gasped. He groaned. "No! I-"

"I don't share." He answered, his lips dangerously close to her own.

"What?"

"Why I didn't tell him. I don't share. Especially not you."

Her breath caught in her throat and he wanted to squeeze it tight again, not to hurt but to tease. To make her moan and whimper and pant for him.

"I...I don't…"

"Don't act _coy_. You know exactly…" Her skin was on fire, hot under his hand that pushed her slip even further up.

"You told me back in Nipton that you admired the purity of Legion justice. I didn't believe it back then, even less so when I heard you had joined with the Bear. But then you let me see just what you were capable of…" His throat rumbled, low and heady and needing as he nuzzled her nose against his. He felt her twitch against him, her hips arching off the wall and rolling towards his aching cock. "Gecko had no idea of the wildfire he'd sparked in Goodsprings. No one did. So they left it to sit...and smoulder." His lips grazed her, a featherlight touch that could be mistaken as the air between them. She glanced down at his lips, her own parted and pouting just and waiting for him to make a move. But then she looked back into his eyes, her pupils dilated till they looked almost black from lust, like a bloodthirsty animal.

"The embers dripped from you in Nipton then I beheld your eruption in Nelson. Ever since Goodsprings, you've raged across the Wasteland, burning all who step in your path and it is...the most _glorious _thing I have ever witnessed."

Her breathing was laboured, a whimpering moan lost in amongst the craze of it.

His lips touched hers-

Then the heat was gone. Jude shoved him off with all her body weight, almost tumbling onto him. Before he could grab her, she sprung out of his grasp but didn't run to the door. She staggered back towards the vanity, stopping in front of the bed, her eyes almost pleading.

"You actually can't even _help_ yourself! Can you? Even now, you're still trying to manipulate me!"

It took his brain a moment to think with anything but his dick. Wanting to just grab her again but the look on her face and sound of her voice stopped him. Made him absorb what she said as his sense returned.

"_Manipulate_ you?"

"You're_ a wildfire. Most glorious thing I've ever witnessed._ Brahmin fucking shit! I don't even know why I'm surprised!"

There was something so small about her out of the suit, in nothing but the slip, as she gave him big, watery eyes. As if her entire world had collapsed around her.

"Jude," He tried to say with as much assurance as he could muster, "I'm not manipulating you."

She laughed, running her hands down her face. "Are you kidding me? Are you delusional? Or are you so caught up in your own lie you don't even see what you do as manipulation anymore? You're manipulating me into thinking you want me. That you care for me-"

"I do."

"-yet expect me to believe you aren't lying through your fucking teeth?" She continued as if he hadn't said anything, then the words hit her. "Don't. Don't..you... Don't you even…_dare_. This is what you do. You manipulate everything! Even as Foxx, you did that! Fuck how did I not see it! _Boone_ saw it! He figured it out before we all did yet I called him the crazy one! In fact, they all hated you! They all saw it, and all I ever did was make excuses for you! Defending you-"

"They saw nothing!" Vulpes snarled. "They hated me because when I was by your side you grew a _backbone_ and they despised it!"

Jude laughed as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You are delusional!"

"That group of people you call friends only argued with you when you broke the image of their ideal saviour, questioning choices they had already made _for_ you. They dragged you down, convinced you of your own worthlessness and that you were somehow a danger because you _feel _more than any of them combined! You are capable of so much more than-"

"Enough!"

"All Arcade and the others ever did was try to make you believe that the justifiable anger you feel towards the injustice in the Mojave is somehow a character flaw-"

"You mean the injustice _you_ cause!"

"At least the Legion do something about the scum of the Mojave. All while the NCR sit back, allowing their own people to suffer and die due to incompetence!"

"That doesn't override rape and enslavement!"

"The NCR enslave every man and woman they throw into those prisons of theirs and leave to rot in back-breaking labour. And you're nothing but a child if you think NCR soldiers haven't taken advantage of their position."

"And who told you this? Caesar?"

"I am the head of our Lord's Frumentarii." He almost spat, his voice low and dangerous. "Anything and _everything_ he knows, I was the one to tell him. You don't think I haven't travelled the length and breadth of the Mojave for information on the Bear? Looking for even one redeeming quality in their government only to find them a black hole where morality goes to die and corruption reigns."

"How _poetic_."

Vulpes scoffed. "They certainly found their champion in you. You're just as hollow-headed as the rest of them."

"Coming from a blind follower of a fascist dictator!"

"At least I believe in _something_. You call me a fence sitter yet have done nothing but balance yourself between the NCR and every other faction in the Mojave, never aligning fully with any and willing to turn on them the moment they don't agree with you."

"Because I don't need to tie myself down to some bullshit ideology to know what's right. What would you suggest? I join Caesar and his little band of Roman cosplayers?"

He wanted to say yes. That was where his Courier belonged. That it was only there her fire would be stoked and not stamped out till she was little more than an empty shell filled with ash.

"Fuck, you do…" She said and staggered back, hysteric giggles dripping from her lips. "Is that what this is? You fuck me to get me to join your insane leader's stupid gang? You really think your dick's that good it will get me to be okay with enslavement and _rape_? _Fuck_ you."

Hearing such crude words spill from her mouth, like curses she hoped would stick, struck him like a poison. Each dart, adding to the dose and boiling his blood.

"It's where you belong."

"Among a group of bigoted rapists? Who hate women? Glad you think so well of me."

"You have potential in you. So much fire everyone else tries to stamp out. But Caesar won't. The Legion is the only place that will accept you, as you are. Not some glossy, smiling version you keep trying to act is you."

"Saying I'd make a good legionary may be a compliment in _your_ head, but it isn't in mine! Just because Caesar encouraged you being a murderous, bloodthirsty asshole doesn't mean I'm looking for a place to do the same! You keep acting as if I should be proud of my lack of control!"

"Because it's _glorious_!"

"Of course the _psychopath_ thinks as much!"

"You can call _me_ a psychopath all you like yet I never see you more in tune with yourself than when you're in the middle of a bloodbath. You know it's true."

"No! Cause it isn't! You don't know me as well as you think you do, _Inculta_. You're just making shit up and applying it onto me!"

"I'm right, and you know it. I know you better than you even know _yourself_."

She froze.

"No...no you don't."

"How would you know? Said so yourself. You have no idea who you are."

She couldn't respond, covering her mouth as if his response had shocked her into silence, her eyes searching his face for the punchline.

Vulpes stepped towards her without looking away from her eyes.

"But I do. Benny may have taken your past. But the Legion can help you find a future. Jude..._please_."

She was quiet for a beat longer, a smirk spread across her face, bitter and cold that she tried to rub away, pressing her lips together as if it would stop whatever she was about to say next.

"_Fuck_ you Inculta. There's my answer."

His grin was short, tight on his face. "Cute."

"What made you think I would ever say anything different?"

"Because you're a walking contradiction. You stab someone in the back to only then grieve them when the dust settles. You hate the Legion yet feel sympathy in the same breath. You help NCR yet distance yourself as far as you can from their leaders. You stick around and tie yourself to friends you don't even get along with."

"I do!"

"You force yourself to because you _crave_ belonging!" Vulpes exclaimed. "That's exactly what I'm offering you. If you'd only open your eyes to see!"

"I have a place I belong! I have friends!"

"Friends? Is that what you call them?"

"They're better than you!"

"Don't be so stubborn. You-" Vulpes snapped, but the weight of it collapsed before he could complete it. In the faint light of the bedside tables, her cheeks glistened, and he couldn't look at her directly. But she didn't move, just stared at him, face hard and making his point entirely with her Mojave eyes. Looking so sad and so very _alone_.

Like a ship stranded out at sea, unable to find shore.

"You know as well as I do, you're just as alone as I am." He finished.

Her sweet face broke. Expression collapsing into doubt.

Vulpes laughed, but it sounded empty.

"Wel-"

She kissed him. Hard and desperate as if she would suffocate without him. Her mouth opened, a whimpering gasping moan slipping from it as her tongue slid into his mouth, soft and warm and dizzyingly addictive. She clung to his hair, scratching down his scalp as if trying to tear her way in.

He couldn't breathe. Drowning in the taste of her.

Vulpes snapped.

He needed more. Needed it all.

Grunting, he pushed her slip up and up to her soft, malleable breasts, running his palm over the hard sensitive nipples and squeezing. Her skin soft under his rough, calloused hands that felt too big to be holding her so gently.

Jude whimpered and gasped then released his mouth, but it didn't stop him as he continued down to her jaw to her tender neck taking in the taste of her skin. Of salt and sweat and the hint of mint from her tongue.

She whined, her leg wrapping back around him as he sucked hard.

"This is wrong." She whimpered. "We can't do this."

"Oh...we can." He grunted. "This is all I've thought about since _Nipton_."

A terrible and delicious sound trickled from her throat, her nails digging into his back as he found her favourite spot between her neck and collar bone. "Oh go-..._Nipton_?"

Vulpes pushed the slip up and over her head as he grinned like a wild animal. Jude didn't argue, helping him get it off before her lips were back on his, grabbing his hands to move them up to her chest.

It was as if he had stepped into his very own Inferno, sending him straight to the circle were dissolute and wanton lust burned under his skin and devoured him from the inside out.

And Jude, in all her glory was his jailer.

If she was hell, he would never stop sinning.

"Nipton was my biggest mistake. I should have dragged you into that Town Hall and not leave until you swore fealty to _me_." He growled, into her ear.

Jude cried, the sound making his dick twitch. "Fuck, I wish you had."

She gasped as he swiped his tongue over a pearled, sensitive nipple that just begged to be sucked. He pulled her bucking hips closer, dragging his nails down her soft, athletic legs, needing more friction against his aching cock that craved her.

"God, you're such a fucking asshole." Jude moaned, her fingers slipped into his hair. Vulpes chuckled and took the bud into his warm mouth, sucking hard. Wanting to leave a deep purple mark on her freckled skin.

The sounds from her throat were like nothing he'd heard, so primal and needy and _wanting_. Her fingers dug into his hair, pushing him to mark her while she dug the heel of her foot into his ass as if she needed him closer to keep grinding her pussy against his pants.

His hand splayed across her scarred back, the sensation rough yet smooth and entirely _Jude_.

He needed more. He needed to taste her. To feel her. To have her entirely so no other man would ever be good enough.

Musk and sweat and salt permeated his senses to the point of bursting. Filling his head and pushing out anything but her.

But the _need_.

"God, this is so _wrong_." She whined. "I _hate_ you." She gasped as he moved to her other breast, slipping his hand up to tease the one still wet from his tongue. He flicked and pinched one as he sucked the other, and it sent her _wild_.

He let go with a wet pop, chuckling. "Then I'd hate to see how you'd act with someone you _like_."

He slid his hand down, lower till it teased at the edge of her hot cunt.

Vulpes trailed soft, wet kisses up her chest, her collarbone and neck, inching his fingers closer but just waiting for her to jump away. To realize what they were doing.

_She's right. This is wrong._

Vulpes continued despite it. Unable to bring himself to care about much other than getting her writhing for him. Making her a trembling and shaking mess. To show her all he could do for her, all she was missing by not staying at his side.

_How pathetic. _

Jude whimpered, rolling her hips towards his waiting fingers.

"I hate you." She repeated, whimpering and clinging to his shoulders. Yet the words sounded like how a child would say it. Said for the sake of being said, with nothing behind the words.

He slid his fingers into her slick folds, the heat almost bringing him to his knees.

"Is that why you're _dripping_ for me?" He growled, teasing his fingers around her waiting cunt, making her knees quiver.

"Foxx," Jude begged.

Vulpes snarled, a rage like he hadn't felt since seeing her with the mongrel, burned through his veins.

He lifted her, her legs encircling his waist, but before she could pull him into a kiss, he lowered her onto the end of the bed. Vulpes was on top of her in seconds, their mouths together, but only for a moment.

He crawled down and yanked her to the edge with him. Then he was between her thighs, his lips trailing down her leg towards her centre as he slowly got down on his knees.

"What are you doing?" Jude pushed herself up, a soft, suspicious smile on her face.

Vulpes grinned back, kissing the tender, thin skin on the inside of her groin.

"Making sure you don't forget my name after tonight."

"What.._Fuck_! Vul-Vulpes!"

She collapsed back into the bed, her fingers grasping at the sheets, writhing. Vulpes chuckled, the vibration making her buck as his tongue trailed up her cunt, then swirled and sucked on her sensitive clit.

It was even better than he had imagined it, all those nights alone in his cot hadn't even come close to how sweet she was. As if made just for him. As he had expected all along.

He reached up, tweaking her breast while she rolled her hips into his tongue.

"Vulpes!"

He purred into her pussy, licking in long and languid strokes, taking his time to observe every twitch and reaction. Enjoying every time he found just where got her to arch up off the bed and into him.

She was soaked through. Perfect. Ready for him and yet...

Her fingers tightened in his hair.

"Vulpes _please_." She begged, her hips rocking back and forth, her voice desperate.

"Please?"

She whimpered, arching off the bed as he hit one of those spots.

"For god _sake_! Fuc-Ah!"

He slipped a finger into her dripping cunt.

Her head tipped back, a soft moan trailing from her lips.

"Vulpes." She said his name as if he were a saint.

Another finger and her hands clutched the bed.

"Cum for me." He whispered.

He moved his hand faster. Then faster, till curling them towards the ceiling and stroking quick.

He didn't stop looking at her, watching her face as her body was overcome, filled with so much want and need and desire that it popped and her cunt seized. It spasmed wildly around his fingers, spilling over them.

"Good girl." He growled and nipped and sucked on her thigh as she rode the last of the aftershocks in a daze, rolling her hips off the bed, her eyes glassy and bewildered.

Vulpes grinned, regarding her as he stood and sucking what was left of her off his fingers.

"Fuck, Inculta." She moaned, catching him in the act. "Your insa-"

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet, _Courier_." He growled, undoing his belt and finally freeing his aching cock. The cooler air was a welcome change but only made him harder, which he hadn't thought possible. Jude watched him, eyes wide.

"Fuck..." She swallowed hard, biting her lip as she shuffled up the bed, "...you're...you're such an asshole."

Vulpes chuckled, clambering on top of her, capturing her mouth and she melted into him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Why's that?" He asked, pulling her leg up and around him, angling his cock at her dripping heat.

"Keep trying to find something wrong." She complained. "So far, just your shitty personality."

Vulpes laughed, rubbing his cock along her wet entrance. "We can't all be saints _Jude_." He kissed down her chin, down her neck as he thrust his hips closer, harder.

So close.

Jude whimpered. "Please...Vulpes."

He thrust forward.

"Fuck!" He groaned, pausing before it became all too much. Her cunt squeezed tight, hot and impossibly marvellous. He craved more. Needed to move and feel her.

He thrust again, more of his thick cock pushed deeper and deeper into her pussy, over and over.

Jude shook. The heels of her feet digging into his back, urging him on. She sucked and bit at his neck, gripping his hair, nails scratching down his back.

With a grunt, he grabbed her legs, forcing them higher.

"Vulpes. Vulpes please..."

The inferno had become him. Filled him. Every inch of him was aflame. All for a _Courier_. A glorified nobody.

A nobody he needed.

His thrusts got desperate, harder and harder the more the pressure built until he could only get faster, using Jude as leverage to hit the exact spot that got her arching off the bed and clinging to him as if she would drown without his support.

He reached down, rubbing her sensitive nub and grinning as she bit down hard on her lip, trying to keep quiet.

"Don't hold back." He whispered. "My Courier."

He kissed her, hard and messy, and it was all too much. The feel of her tongue, soft and warm and wet against his own as his thick cock thrust into her. Jude bucked under his ministrations, her fingers tightening in his hair.

He couldn't stay inside her, yet he didn't want to move. The very thought of filling her with his seed almost making it happen.

"Vul-Vulp-" She gasped, her body bursting and pussy spasming around him.

Vulpes kissed her, hard, riding it out with her and gripping to her arms, grunting as his cock ached to release with her.

Deep inside her.

"Fuck...I-"

He pulled out, and with only two strokes, he came over her stomach, grunting and panting as his cock twitched and pulsed in his hand.

Before he could absorb what had happened, her arms were around his neck, pulling him down to meet her lips in a soft, deep kiss.

"Thank you."

He didn't know if he heard her right at first. It was no more than a whisper. Perhaps something made up by his own imagination.

Yet she grinned up at him, strands of hair stuck on her face, a thin sheen of sweat glistening over her flushed pink skin, with her lip between her teeth and he knew she had. But despite the smile, despite the flush and glow, there was something else, almost sad, behind her eyes.

Her lips moved but said nothing, as if afraid to say it.

"W-what now?"

Her eyes met his, apprehensive. Thinking of tomorrow. Of Freeside. Of Legion and the NCR.

Of outside the room.

Vulpes chuckled, the sound almost menacing.

"Oh Courier..." He crooned, nuzzling her neck, "You say that as if we're done? When I'm not even close to finished with you yet..."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A\N: This is just a wee note about it being a Vulpes Inculta romance story.

I do want to mention that while I write this stuff, that doesn't mean I condone Inculta's asshole ways! I know it probably doesn't need to be said but just in case it does, I repeat, I don't condone or support his actions in the story! It's just me trying to write Vulpes relatively in character. If you have any concerns please feel free to contact me about it and I'd be happy to talk about it. Always willing to discuss if I'm doing/writing something problematic :). Not that anyone has said anything so far! Just when I was writing this chapter I was very aware that it could come across as it (cause it is to be fair) but I also had to accept that the characters themselves are twisted assholes who get off on that shit. Hope this makes sense! And thanks again for reading!:D


	12. Chapter 12 - Foolish People

AN: Hope everyone is staying safe and well! Insane how much things have changed in the world since my last update!

So sorry for the delay with this! Hope it was worth it!

Please see at the end for a wee update about timelines for further chapter updates!

Enjoy!

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Vulpes knew something was wrong when he awoke, but he couldn't quite place it.

He had woken up in a bed, cold and alone, enough times for the feeling to be familiar. A dull and hollow sensation that felt like it belonged but hard to ignore all the same, burning into his head like a hellish affliction. Yet despite the familiarity, there was something new itching away like a missing limb.

The other side of the bed was empty.

Vulpes sat up with a start.

Crisp bitter light streamed in through the open window, stark and bright enough to shock his senses like a rebar club to the head.

Her side was crumpled, and if it had been warm, he would have thought she had just rolled out moments ago. But her backpack lay open and knocked over; her Vault 11 suit gone, along with her precious Liberator.

His head went round in circles worse than the NCR Ambassador, like it was too busy arguing over what it all meant rather than focusing on normal bodily functions. With each thought unable to fully realise itself before being replaced with another that would counteract it.

The room spun as he staggered out of the bed.

_Neat trick. Leave the bag to make you think she'll come back._

_She will. You'll see._

_Like fuck she will. _

His throat constricted, and he cursed himself for letting her slip through his fingers and even harder for having never imagined she would pull such a stunt. Not after everything.

_Seems like your dick really wasn't as good as you thought then Fox face._

Vulpes grabbed his pack as the thick fog in his mind cleared at a sluggish pace.

He'd almost forgotten about the hunting knife, tucked away under a change of clothes. While nothing compared to his favoured Ripper, it served him well, saving his life and being the end to more men than people existed in one Vegas town. It sat, almost mocking, urging him to just grab it and find her. To burn down the entire Mojave and show her what happened to those who ran from him.

_As if she were nothing but an object?_

"Of course she-" Vulpes stopped.

He shouldn't have had to look to ensure the room was empty, yet he did all the same. A sense of relief at seeing it was.

The voice hung around like a spectre as he changed, almost familiar, yet unable to place it. It couldn't-

He fumbled with the buckle at his belt, his shoulders tense as he bit down hard on teeth he thought might crack.

Instead, he did, driving his fist into the nearby window frame.

His hand exploded in agony. Burning, glorious agony that radiated up his arm and burst the hard, calloused skin around his knuckles. A velvet, wanton groan was all that released from his throat as he stretched out the fingers, prolonging the sensation and forcing them to bend again. It was as if they were still in shock, needing a moment to remember the shapes they were capable of before letting him force them back into a fist.

A harsh laugh left his lips.

_She left you. Just as the others did._

It took him a moment to regain any sense, left alone in the cold hollow room that appeared so much bigger in the bright light of day.

She had even taken the backstabbing robot, which was for the better as if he had been left alone with it, the thing would have been little more than scrap by the time he finished. Even though the night had gone in his favour by the time it ended, his plans were ruined.

And he only had one other plan to get her back if he could even call it that.

He slipped his vest over his head, catching his reflection in the vanity mirror. Of his back, covered in the long red scratches her nails had left, red lines over scars from whippings he had taken too long to learn from. The sight alone brought back the memories of the night before. Of how she touched him, the noises she made as she rode him into oblivion. The feel of her skin in his grasp. Of playing with her hair in between his fingers as she drifted off to sleep, her head resting on his chest as if they were really lovers.

As if she were really his.

He slipped on the brown leather bomber jacket - one Jude had bought him from Sunnyvale - and clipped the hunting knife to his belt.

The moment the Nightkin Vulpes knew only as Keene spotted him heading down the stairs, the creature huffed and grunted in disgust and looked.

"More _humans_."

Vulpes rolled his eyes and didn't reply to the creature, not wanting to rile it up any further than it had been. Jude had managed to calm the beast down the day they arrived, convincing him and his fellows to stand down and listen to Henry, but Vulpes could see them scratching at the bit, itching to take the Stealth-Boys and run. To be fair, Vulpes couldn't think of anything better, a wild gang of Nightkin sounded like precisely what the NCR needed.

Doctor Henry stood over a still sleeping Rex, reading something off a small monitor, beeping and churning out readings that made more sense to the doctor than it ever would to Vulpes. The traitorous robot was with him, plugged into the computer and not seeming all there. It didn't react with its usual sound at the sight of him, as if it couldn't see at all. Words sat on the tip of his tongue, wanting to ask what it all meant, yet he held them back despite his mind swirling with possibilities.

"You just going to stand there all day kid or wanting to ask me something?" Doctor Henry chuckled. "Have a good sleep?"

Vulpes cleared his throat, not liking how the doctor's tone brought him back to being a young child with his hands behind his back while trying to deny he'd done anything wrong.

"You haven't seen-"

"The Courier?" The doctor turned, looking over his glasses. "Why? Worried she'd run off without you?"

Vulpes didn't honour his question with a reply, but it didn't seem as if the man wanted one, instead motioned to Rex.

"She ran off before I could tell her so you can let her know. Her canine friend is doing well. Should be up and about by tonight and will be able to start the tests tomorrow. All going as it should, you lot will be out of my hair by Thursday."

Vulpes smiled, tight and painful. "Glad to hear it."

Doctor Henry rolled his eyes. "She's outside with Lilly. Though when you do see her, can you also tell her to lay off the coffee? Calamity said she saw her take a whole pot out with her. Ain't good for anyone to down a full pot of that stuff. Especially the pots Calamity makes."

Vulpes wasn't even able to offer up a smile and goodbye before he was out the door. Clenching and unclenching his fists to try and resist going back to strangle the doctor.

It was bitter and bright outside, the cold sun beating down onto the landscape. While louder in the mountains it was muffled by the thin sprinkling of snow, the atmosphere still as oppressive and quiet as the desert below them. As if the trees, rocks and tall peaks worked as hiding spots that made the hair on Vulpes' neck raise: made the creatures brave compared to how they would be on the open and exposed desert plains.

Crickets in the trees stopped their buzzing the moment he stepped too close to the Big Horn inclosure. As if every single one had all spotted him all at once. Then within seconds, they started again, the danger alerted to, even if not dealt with.

The Big Horners in the enclosure grunted and groaned as if moving at all was a hindrance. Lily, sat alone on a rotting tree stump watching the animals in the straw hat that set her apart and wearing goggles she claimed, _'stopped the sun getting in her eyes, dearie'._ She looked the part of a farmhand, if not for the purple-blue skin, towering height and being built like a brick house. The sight couldn't help but make Vulpes smile. Lanius was often compared to the creatures by recruits, and as much as the Legate like to dismiss them as perversions of nature, the man still found pride at being likened to such monstrosities. Yet he doubted Lanius would favour such a comparison if he knew of Lily, or any of the others up in Jacobstown. Of Nightkin willing to work with humans, despite their hatred of them.

The beast looked up at the sound of Vulpes getting closer, and its face contorted into what he could only assume was excitement, as if it had seen something it hadn't expected.

"Jimmy? My Little Jimmy - my, how you've grown up! So good of you to come visit your grandma!"

Vulpes stopped in his tracks and looked behind him.

"Jimmy?" he asked, his wide New Vegas smile pulling across his face as he recalled Jude doing the same as she calmed them down, avoiding eye contact as she spoke.

Didn't want to make them feel uncomfortable she said. They don't like being noticed.

The creature made a sound somewhat akin to laughter but harsher and heavy. As if the effort hurt.

"My Jimmy! What big _teeth_ you have! And how _pale_!" The monster leaned forward to get a better look at him. Looking up as if it wouldn't even hurt a fly, never mind massacre an entire town and eat its bones.

"And what big _eyes_! I hope you aren't coming down with something, are you dearie?" It continued as Vulpes backed away, trying to keep smiling. "Don't worry. Grandma will look after-"

"I think you have me confused with someone else."

"I-" It was as if a switch went off in the beast and its expression collapsed. "Oh...of course I have dearie. How...how silly of me. I didn't take my medication yet today." It looked around, confused then back at him, suddenly seeming a lot more alert.

"Wolf."

"Excuse me?"

"Mr Wolf? Beck- Red's little friend?"

"Red?"

"Such _pretty_ hair. Leo wanted to rip it off and keep it, but I've told him that isn't a very nice thing to do to people. Not unless they were mean to us first."

"What-"

"She went toward the _special_ building. Through the trees. Wasn't long ago."

Vulpes nodded, already backing away as the Nightkin just looked at him, unsure if it was smiling or grimacing as it went back to focusing on the Bighorners.

He stepped back towards the trees.

Vulpes had seen men torn apart and encampments massacred due to Nightkin insanity. That Jude had allowed herself to be alone with such a creature made his blood boil. The thought of Lily ripping Jude's hair from her scalp, almost turning him around. But he'd need a lot more than a knife to take on a Nightkin.

The 'special building' it spoke of was a church. A massive structure that had almost been engulfed by the forest, hidden by overgrowth and with trees growing through windows; out the roof or from the wooden slat walls till he didn't know where one tree began and another ended.

The front door lay open, and the thought crossed his mind; she had laid a trap for him. The only thing waiting for him at the other end being a pit of spikes or a shotgun trigger. Then her face as he faded away.

If she would be grinning or sad he couldn't yet decide.

Jude sat in the centre of one of the hall off to the left of the aisle, her red hair and jumpsuit making her hard to miss among the greenery. Despite the door creaking and his steps cracking and crunching the foliage underfoot, she didn't look up. Instead, she continued to focus on the large cross at the other end of the hall, above the pulpit, as if it held answers.

It felt strange inside, the light peaking through slats and what they could of the covered windows. The roof had collapsed on one end, letting n the only substantial light apart from the window across from them. It made the hall look as if it were on the verge of setting alight. Like one wrong spark and all the dead leaves and branches would be up in smoke, yet the air was cold.

Bitter.

"You slept later than I thought." Her voice was warm, a faint smile edged on her lips. "I wear you out that much?"

It took hearing her for the relief to flush through him like a flood. Like a cooling balm through all of the sores the morning had torn open.

And her smile.

With it, whatever vengeance he had imagined dispersed like a sand sculpture in strong wind.

_Absolutely pathetic._

Then her eyes dropped down, and she stopped.

And he remembered the knife clipped to his belt.

Jude looked back to the cross and took a sip from the mug in her hands.

"You bring that to kill me?"

A lie sat on his tongue.

"Thought about it."

"At least your being honest. Makes a change." She motioned to the spot beside her, and like a whipped dog, he did as told.

They sat in silence for a while. For too long to be comfortable.

"Sleep well?"

The sound took him off guard, the words sounding like something spoken by those in the wild tribal lands further North before he realised she was speaking plain.

"I did. You?"

She grinned, her face going pink. "Yeah. Though you helped a lot with that."

He couldn't control the wide grin on his face. "I did?"

"Don't let it get to your head now."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

She chuckled but bit it back, face full of more shame than a Mormon prostitute.

"This...is..._Fuck_."

"Don't think you're allowed to swear in church."

"Don't think you're supposed to bring knives to church either, _Inculta."_

"Will admit...you're not as angry as I expected."

"What level did you expect?"

He shrugged. "Waking up to a knife at my throat?"

"Or me running off?" She rolled her eyes. "Don't try and lie to me and say you brought the knife for protection now. Was that going to be my _punishment_?"

He cracked his jaw.

"It...crossed my mind."

"Asshole."

"I'm aware."

"_Without_ Rex?"

"Was it the only reason you didn't?"

She scoffed and took another sip from the steaming mug - the odour from it pungent and bitter - making a face as she swallowed.

"Honestly? Yeah..." She looked at him, a faint grin pulling across her face. "Then I changed my mind about it. Same way I changed my mind about taking a knife to your throat. Coffee?"

It took a second for what she said to sink in, but she had moved on, grabbing a metal coffee pot and filled seperate cup for him. It only brought his attention to her suit, unzipped a lot lower than he was used to and without a vest underneath, exposing the swell of her breast and the dark purple bite marks and bruises he left there, teasing at the edges of the zipper. His mouth watered, wanting to darken them and ensure they wouldn't lose their colour by the time she returned to Freeside. That anyone who saw her would know what he had done to her.

"Did you think of using it?" He asked, accepting the cup.

She nodded.

"Up against your throat and everything. Really shouldn't have left me with so many things to kill you with."

"Why didn't you?"

She swirled what was left in the cup and downed it before filling it up again, her face contorted into an expression that seemed unsure of its own existence.

"Why do you think I'm sitting here?" She grumbled and took a sip of her new drink and placed the pot back beside a black book. It held the same cross as the one hanging above the pulpit on its front. Something about it familiar...

_Graham?_

The thought almost shocked him out of his seat.

Graham had shown him the book before.

Then said not to tell a soul.

"The real question is, why are _you_ still here, _Inculta_? Or do you prefer Foxx at this point?"

He focused on the cup in his hands, scratching at the chip on the rim. He shrugged and tried to keep his voice steady, despite how every muscle in him creaked and tightened.

"If it were up to me... you'd never call me Foxx again."

She grinned. "I bet if it were up to you, all you'd ever want to hear is me moaning your name as I did last night."

He grunted, grinding his teeth together at the thought.

"I certainly wouldn't say no to that."

"Even in public? Think Dr Henry would be a little confused if I started calling you Vulpes out of nowhere."

A small smirk twitched at his lips as he watched her profile.

"As if you ever plan to see me in public after this?"

A beat passed. Then another. And she did her best to hide the smile on her lips.

"It...may have crossed my mind."

It was as if she'd gotten on her knees and sworn fealty to the Legion right there. For a moment he couldn't breathe, as if all the words wanting to be said clogged his airways.

"You haven't answered my question?" She continued.

"Question?"

"Your cover has been blown. You got what you wanted. Thought you would have been halfway to your precious _Kai-zar_ right now. Just chomping at the bit to tell him how you'd managed to fuck the-"

"Jude..."

She flinched away.

"Don't..."

"Don't what?"

"Say my name like that. Like you _care_. When you'll be going to go back to the Fort, to Caesar, to tell him everything."

"I wasn't planning to tell him _everything_."

She rolled her eyes. "Going to leave out the boring bits?"

"Depends on what you define as boring."

He trailed his fingers down her arm, yet his eyes focused on her mouth, aching to taste her again.

It took her a moment to register his touch, to watch his hand trail up and down her arm. He got lost in it. Not noticing the sun shifting on the walls around them.

"You're looking at me like that again."

Her words were barely above a whisper, eyes lingering on his lips, her own parting, wanting it just as he did.

"Looking at you like what?"

"Like you did last night. As you fucked me."

It was as if he had been shocked by a fusion battery, sparking every nerve ending with pure and wanton need.

She sighed and shuffled herself closer, turning to press her hands into his thigh and lean toward him. It was intoxicating. A swirling scent of the soap, of her hair and her skin, of her coffee and of the earth. Of her hands hot and so close.

Mars, take him.

"Vulpes-"

He was rough, his teeth hitting hers as their lips met, hands tightening in her perfect hair. She whined, her fingers biting into his leg then slipping under his vest. It sent him tumbling into a pit of glorious, scorching fire created by the God of War himself.

All thoughts of vengeance, of violent and bloody vengeance, poured into making her scream for him in the scorching sun. As if that would make all that was happening real. Seal it all in glass so it would never escape. So she would never escape.

He grabbed her ass and lifted her onto his lap, a low, dangerous sound reverberating from his throat as she rocked herself onto his straining cock.

Teeth found her throat and dug into her soft flesh, his fingers squeezing and urging her hips to keep moving.

"Oh _God_," She gasped against his mouth, her hands in his hair. "This...We can't-"

Vulpes just laughed. "You said that last night as well." He found that point at the base of her neck, his fingers back in her hair. "Didn't stop us then."

"But we really-. Fuck, it's so _wrong_. You're _Legion._" She groaned hard as he found that spot she adored, made her hips buck and chest swell into him. "You're Vulpes _Inculta_!"

She took his face into both her hands, making him look at her. Yet her expression was odd, not angry. More confused and wide-eyed as if searching his face for something.

"You're Vulpes...Inculta." Her fingers slipped into his hair, smoothing it back. "I _hate_ you. You're...God…" She kissed him again, so soft it took him off guard. Almost instinctively, he pulled her closer, arms around her as if they would keep out the world. "What…What are we going to do?"

The question made his mind fill with static as if it were trying to interpret what she had said. As if she wanted anything more than Jacobstown. Anything other than stolen moments they'd shared. His mind unable to comprehend any plan other than her using the Liberator to detach his head and send it to Caesar as she had done to Dead Sea.

Even when he'd been convinced she'd ran, gone before the sun even rose in the sky and the only time he'd see her again would be on the opposite side of the battlefield at Hoover Dam, it was at least the response that made sense. The one that wouldn't lead to both their ruin.

Instead, she was writhing on his lap, desperate for him. Near begging. Fitting into him as if she were a creation of Mars for Vulpes alone. As only a God could create such a being. Would allow her to live through what Benny had done and ensure she was sent directly to Nipton. The Mojave was such a vast place they would have never crossed. Yet the Wildfire of Goodsprings made it's way to Nipton just in time to see the result of his lesson. Inspired her to massacre Nelson.

And from it, created a lesson for the Legion. A lesson in their hubris.

All from the Courier. A _messenger_.

But something in his stomach sank.

_She's just a Courier. A nobody. Just like Cae-_

He kissed her, frantic, wild, taking her off guard but she reciprocated like they would find the answers they both sought within each other. In their desperate kisses and shared breaths.

"Come back to the Fort with me." He gasped the words against her lips, hardly knowing them until they were out.

She pulled away. "What?"

It was too late to take them back and yet he found he didn't want to.

"Y-you can't be serious?" Jude searched his face, looking for the joke. Looking for him to be lying, just this once but it was the furthest from a lie he'd ever told. She wouldn't find a safer place than by his side, surrounded by fellow Legionnaire and under Caesar's banner. The Bear would only lead to her death at the hands of the Butcher. If no one else got to her first. Mars may have kept her alive, but he wouldn't let his messenger continue to fight under any other flag but Caesar's. She had been sent for the Legion. Belonged to _them_.

He wanted to say something profound. Something bigger than anything else that would finally convince her, but something about the look in her eyes, begging for him to stop.

So he didn't say a word.

"God...you are."

"Jude-"

"He'd kill me."

"Make yourself invaluable, and he won't have to."

"_Have_ to?" She yanked out of his arms, spitting the words like venom.

It was like watching a calm lake surface break into waves, then into a storm all in the beat of a Cazador's wing and once started there was nothing one could do to stop it.

"You would kill me if he asked, wouldn't you?"

He tried to answer, couldn't find one.

Knew what the answer should be and yet it wasn't in the same breath.

"Piece of Legion...shit." Jude laughed and clambered off him.

He grabbed her waist, her feet already back on the ground. "He already wants you dead." The words came out in a snarl, but they felt desperate, his fingers clinging to her as if she would disintegrate to ash the moment he let go.

"Don't play semantics with me." She snapped back, her hands on the back of the bench, leaning over him.

"You want an answer to what we do. I'm trying to give you one."

"Me rendering unto Caesar isn't my idea of an answer."

"What would you propose? Me rendering unto the Bear?"

"I…"

"_Come_ _with me_. Speak with Lord Kai-zar." He urged. "You may find your mind will change."

"You may think me a fool Inculta. But not fool enough to walk into the Fort by choice."

A slow, wolfish grin spread across his face. "I'm flattered you think so well of me to believe I'd have planned that far ahead."

"I don't underestimate my enemies."

"No? Just fuck them."

He realised it was a stupid thing to say the moment he said it and just as he expected, she jerked away.

"Fuck...this! I-" She cried. "What am I...What am I _doing_? This is..._insane_."

For one terrible second, she looked ready to leave, set to storm out and never look back. But she collapsed in the seat beside him, her head in hands. "This is...This..it's..._crazy_? _Right_?"

He could breathe again but unable to move, just watching as she looked at him with her big brown eyes, red and welling up as if he would be able to fix it.

"It...has it's moments."

She chuckled. "One way to put it."

She went quiet. They both did. Sitting in the silence of the church, the sunlight dancing like flames on the walls.

"I should have killed you..."

Vulpes didn't know how to answer her. She hadn't even looked at him when she said it. So he asked the obvious question.

"Why didn't you?"

He wasn't even sure she had heard him, her attention retaken by the pulpit.

"Pretty building isn't it?"

"I guess."

"You guess?"

He shrugged. "Saw many like this back in Arizona and while travelling Utah. They're relics of an Old World. Of doctrine past. But I guess there's a morbid beauty to it. Of seeing the husk of an old God left to rot alone in the mountains. Never did take you as the religious type."

She shook her head, vehemently. "No! No! No..."

"Your book?"

It was as if she forgot it was there, jumping at the sight of it.

"It's...complicated..." Her fingers traced the front, her expression too soft but one he'd seen on her before, as Vulpes took the Liberator to the Legion dog's head.

She sighed.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

The words sounded strange, like a tribal chant or song made to confuse. Jude even looked perplexed as if trying to figure out the words herself.

"Where did you hear something like that?"

She didn't answer him right away or even look at him, instead ahead at the cross on the far wall, lost in thought. Crafted from metal, it hung on by the branch of a tree which slunk through and out the window. Vulpes wanted nothing more than for it to just fall.

"In this." She tapped the book. "It's underlined and page marked. Something I must have resonated with I think? Before...everything. After I woke up it was like learning it all over again. I just thought it sounded nice. Never truly got it...then Nipton happened."

"Nipton?"

"Seeing what you did...hearing you...I truly did see it as a justice. Bad people getting what they deserved. Then you let me see the rest. As if you _knew…_"

"You walked in Nipton, looking as soft as a New Vegas tourist." He chuckled. "I wanted to ensure you understood what you were witness too."

"You killed everyone." It was said as if still afraid to utter it. As if she were still standing in Nipton, surrounded by his men. One wrong word meaning her doom. "Innocents."

"Innocent? _Hardly_."

"There were _children, _Vulpes."

He almost wished she said it with more anger than she had. The disappointment and disgust were worse. How she looked at him like he were a chewed up piece of leather in a molerat den. It was almost unbearable.

"That doesn't make them innocent Jude."

"What crimes could they possibly have been guilty of?"

"Their parents. You see it throughout the Mojave. The Wasteland. Trauma and burden past down from generation to generation. The children in Nipton would have turned out just like their progenitors."

"You never gave them a chance."

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Just those too old to learn."

"You're just saying that."

"If you'd arrived just a bit sooner you would have seen."

Yet that hadn't been her purpose. Hadn't been why she had been sent. She learned what she needed from him. No more and no less, just as Mars intended. "Caesar doesn't like to waste potential. Young children are malleable. Adolescents...not so much."

"So their real crime was being too old?"

"If you want to put it that way you can. Either way, they're with Mars now."

"Mars?"

"The God of War?"

"You don't _actually_ believe that?"

"Do you believe in that?" He motioned to her book, her fingers clinging to it like it was trying to escape her.

"Maybe? I must have once. Maybe I will again."

"But not now?"

Instead of an answer, he got her staring at it, brow furrowed but eyes far away. As if lost in a memory.

"I had never planned to kill Dead Sea like that."

Vulpes turned to her as if she had turned into a ghoul before his eyes.

"You…?"

"He was to be taken back to McCarren. Political prisoner, ugh. Even saying it makes my skin crawl. Hardest he fought back was when I tore the Liberator from him. He called me a walking cunt. I beat in his face."

"Good." He crooned, voice like silk as he stroked her hair.

"Good?"

"Let's just say if it had been up to me...I wouldn't have been as merciful as you."

A peal of almost hysterical laughter left her lips. "Of course, you call what I did a _mercy_. He didn't have to die at all! But then I looked up at that tower and I saw that stupid _fucking_ dogs helmet."

"Vexillarius helmet." He corrected, lifting her hand to kiss her fingers.

"Whatever."

A grin, wide and all teeth, spread from ear to ear, unable to pull his eyes off her as she recounted her tale. She was on a cliff edge, teetering and so close to falling. He shifted closer. She looked so confused, so lost, so beautiful.

"It was as if I was possessed. And all I could think was 'Let him see. Let him see what's coming for his men. For _him_'."

"You wanted a reaction."

"I wanted to make _you_ pay. Not even the Legion but _you_. So I took my anger, let it loose on others and called it justice. All because I thought I knew better. When I knew about as much as you. Probably less." The nails in her hand still holding the book dug into the soft leather. "Alpha and Omega. Beginning and the end." She spat the bible verse as if it burned her tongue, eyes full of shame.

"Dispensing justice makes for dirty work, and there is a lot of work to be done here in the Mojave. No hands come away clean."

"Mine were filthy." The words more breathed than spoken. "It was like a switch. Dead Sea gone. But you...you were still _there_. And...so _many_ bodies. All so _young_."

"Just like Nipton." Vulpes traced the lines on her palm, noting her lifeline. How it broke off and led to an entirely new path. "And no matter how much you scrubbed…it stained."

"You...last night you said you knew me...better than I even know myself. Why?"

It was the sweetest thing he'd seen in daylight. A doe-eyed Courier, illuminated by the sun and waiting on him with bated breath. As if any answer he gave would push her further into that light rather than closer to him.

"My Courier." He crooned, caressing her face. "I think you _know_ why."

Like that she deflated yet not as much as he expected. She sighed and leaned in closer, her head on his shoulder.

"God we're so..._shit_."

"So I've been told."

"But I don't want to lose this."

"You don't have to."

"It-It's taken me so long to understand even just a small fraction of myself and yet with you it... it's like..._breathing_."

"Then come with me."

She sat up. There was something akin to sympathy in her eyes, soft and sad. Not malicious. Not judgmental.

"I'm sorry."

_She will be. _

Vulpes shushed her and pulled her back down onto his shoulder, stroking his fingers through her hair.

They sat like that until the silence became oppressive and he felt himself start to twitch. Something urging him to get Jude as far away as he possibly could from such a building. From the burning light licking at him as if trying to devour them both.

"Doctor Henry said Rex is healing." He said, playing with her hair. "Should be up and walking by tonight. All goes well...he'll be fit enough to return to Freeside in two days."

It was like they had heard their own death knell. A silence swelled between them, obnoxious yet better than words had been. Then her hand found his, clasping it as if he would break in her grasp.

Her voice trembled. "Two days then?"

He raised her hand to his lips, and pressed hard.

"Two days."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

AN: Got a small update about future Chapter updates! There will be longer gaps between each chapter so I can work more on my personal project. Doesn't mean I'm going to stop updating this! Just that I'll maybe update once every month and a half or 2 months rather than rush to get it out as I'm doing just now. Essentially right now, ALL my writing time goes into this but I have so many pent up ideas for my personal project I just need to get out (which was the entire point of this story to be fair!). As it won't be on a relatively firm schedule anymore, if you aren't already, you can follow the story so you will be notified when the next chapter comes out and I'll likely update the synopsis with a rough date whenever I'm close to updating. If you want to stay even more up to date with my general goings-on, I do have a tumblr so feel free to follow it you aren't already?

Stay safe everyone!


	13. Chapter 13 - Hurt, Lost & Blinded Fool

AN: Well this took for dang ever! There is good news though! This was originally one chapter I've split into two. I'll release the next part in the regular two weeks so there won't be as long a wait :). Then it will be back to the longer wait I'm afraid!

Anyway, hope you enjoy! :)

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Damned. She was damned to whatever hell existed. To the lowest level or the highest, whichever was worse. So long as she was burning for all eternity.

"Nice morning."

Jude yelped and turned sharply. Vulpes had clearly been waiting for her to show her face, posing against the lodge, cigarette in hand and doing his best to look like her expectation of a man who had committed terrible war crimes. It almost made her feel better. At least when he looked like a psychopath, it made it easier to hate him. Though, if it hadn't been as cold, she would have thought him something from a dream, but they never got his eyes right. Always making them too bright and putting a warmth in the blue. The real ones were as dull as the fog that had settled over the lodge.

Vulpes took another drag and the stink of it hit her all at once, but it gave her a good reason to turn away, trying to hide her glowing red face.

"Thought Legionaries weren't allowed to smoke."

"We all have our vices." His voice laced with poison that burned the back of her neck. "Some more than others."

Jude turned back just in time to catch him eyeing her up, like a starved man placed in front of a feast.

"You really shouldn't go out on your own after an attack."

He pulled out an empty Med-X syringe before she could argue, the needle she had bent glinting in the light. Jude wrinkled her nose, unable to look at the thing, and feeling stupid for leaving it behind.

"It was preventative. And I only went up to the church."

"Again?"

"I like it there. It's...calming."

The silence was heavy, yet neither said a word. Vulpes didn't even try after he finished the cigarette, stamping it out under his foot. He looked off into the distance behind her as he pulled out another one but paused before putting in his mouth, twirling it in between his fingers. Perhaps realising it was a bit early to start chain-smoking.

"Never knew you to be an early riser." His voice took her off guard, his eyes on her again, analysing and cold. "Till recently, at least."

"Well, I never knew you as Vulpes Inculta till, what? A day ago? We're both adjusting."

"Touche."

"Does it bother you? When I'm not there when you wake up."

His laugh was sharp as he pulled the lighter out of his pocket and slipped the cigarette between his lips.

"Of course not." He grumbled as he lit it.

Jude snorted. "You are. Can see it in your face."

If looks could kill, she would have dropped down dead. Her heart jumped into her throat, and from her neck down, it was like Jude's blood turned hot, yet skin stayed freezing, all that scalding blood shooting straight to her aching core.

Damned. She was absolutely damned.

After their talk in the church, Jude had every intention to resist her more wanton whims, but that had gone out the window before they'd even left the church. And it didn't get much better back at the lodge. Jude throbbed with the memory of the ghost of his greedy tongue. Of the look in his eyes as he slid his fingers inside and-

"You bring your knife this time?" She asked, swallowing hard and unable to look him in the eyes, gripping the railing behind her hard.

"No."

"That's some growth at least." Jude sat on the steps, looking out towards the front gate where Marcus stood guard, hidden in the fog. "You really allowed to smoke those things?"

"Frumentarii do what they must to fit in with the local populace. Though, if I'm being candid..." She heard the sound of shoes stamping a cigarette out underfoot then he was sitting at her side. "I think I've developed an attachment."

"Candid?"

"Honest."

The thought made her snort. "You? Honest?"

"It happens on occasion."

He offered her a drink from a half-empty water bottle, the sight of it reminding her just how little she'd had to eat or drink since she woke up - just some fancy lad snack cakes she'd found at the bottom of her bag while sitting in the church and one of Calamity's coffees.

She accepted the bottle.

"So what would happen if you lit one up back in the Fort?"

She took a gulp and handed it back, his fingers brushing against hers.

"Nothing to myself. Another member of the Frumentarii would be taken and punished in my place."

"A perk of your position is it?"

"It teaches all soldiers that their actions do not affect themselves alone. They are part of a collective, and as such, punished as one. My position makes no difference."

"You must get some perks? Being all buddy-buddy with the head honcho."

Vulpes seemed less than impressed, eyeing her.

"What? Does he not like being called that?"

"I doubt he would."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Please don't."

"Have you ever gotten someone punished? Or been punished yourself."

Vulpes narrowed his eyes, watching her face, but there was nothing to give away or hide.

"Both." He answered after a moment. "But neither for a long time."

Jude recalled his back, laced with scars that were different from her own. As if the skin had been ripped at by a wild animal. She had almost asked, but it had never seemed right to when he was inside her. Looking at her as there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

Her fingers glanced over his spine, noting how he straightened at her touch.

"Is that how you got those scars?"

He raised the bottle to his lips; his eyes focused on something she couldn't see as he drank slow, exposing his smooth, biteable neck littered with small bruises.

Jude's teeth ached to add more.

"Reminders." He said, finally. "Of a foolish boy who thought he knew better."

"Sounds like I would have liked that Vulpes."

"I somehow doubt that."

"Don't tell me you were worse then."

"That depends."

"On?"

"What you consider to be 'worse'. You're very inquisitive all of a sudden."

"I don't know anything about you. Just rumours. Trying to change that."

The sound he made like it should have been a laugh, but too filled with contempt at even hearing what she said.

"You do know me."

"Who I knew was Foxx. But he isn't real, is he?"

"Probably not."

Jude pushed back a strand of his hair, letting her fingers idle.

"Is the man I met in Nipton real either? I see glimpses of him, here and there, but there are moments I've seen Foxx too. Neither is the one sitting beside me right now. Nor is he the one who fucked me senseless."

His lips thinned, and she heard a soft grunt as he turned to her, brows heavy and almost daring her to repeat it as he looked her in the eyes.

"Can it only be one or the other?" His voice was heavy, and eyes zeroed in on her mouth yet resisting the urge to shove her back and show her just how much of him was the man who had 'fucked her senseless'. Oh, he'd show her, and she would let him like the degenerate whore she was.

"Would be nice to know who I'm waking up next to."

"That why you keep running off?" His face contorted like he'd had two thoughts in his head and the wrong one had slipped out.

"What? Expecting me to be ready and in position for you when you woke up? That what you make the slaves back at the Fort do?"

A laugh that was too dark to be real was all he gave in reply.

"You do make up some fantastical stories."

"Coming from the man having a breakdown cause his fuck toy wasn't available."

He yanked her close, his hand in her hair. Another pulled at her waist till she was pressed up against him, his breath scalding hot against her ear.

"You keep running your mouth, _Courier_, and I may just have to show you how the Legion treat their _'fuck-toys'_."

He buried his teeth into her neck, biting her just below her ear and releasing a wanton cry from her throat. Her head told her to move away. To push him off.

Her head tipped back, her neck pining for his mouth.

"So needy." He purred against her skin, nipping, suckling and tasting as if he'd been starved from her for months, going over the same bruises he'd made the night before.

For a second, the heat was gone only for both hands to slip to her hair, gripping tight behind her neck as if she would fall backwards without him.

"You belong with me." He said it so low she almost didn't hear him; his forehead pressed against her own, and mouth so close, nothing else was registering in the world. His kiss was softer than expected, nipping at her lip and sliding into her mouth, moving into an effortless dance.

Then his heat was gone.

"We have a visitor." She felt him grinning against her cheek, kissing her softly then leaning back.

She was gliding on air. Swimming in the warmth and glow as it slowly let her sink back down to earth. Where either the temperature had risen several degrees, or Jude needed to cool down.

"Courier!" Marcus exclaimed, stepping out of the fog. "I'm sorry to get you involved in this-"

"Yet you will," said Vulpes.

"-but I could use your help with something. I'm hoping they may listen to a human."

"Hoping who may listen? Everything okay?"

Vulpes hand was hot on her knee and stopped her standing.

"We've been having trouble with NCR Mercs harassing the town," Marcus said, "and they've just shown up again. They've been shooting at the lodge, killing our Bighorners and it's getting harder to stop the others from retaliating."

"Wait! NCR?" Jude pushed Vulpes hand away and jumped up. "Are you sure?"

"Are you really that surprised by this point?" Vulpes leaned back.

"I guess I can't say for sure they're NCR." Marcus admitted. "But whoever they are they want us dead or gone."

"Smart guess." Vulpes chimed in. "There aren't many in the Mojave who would hire mercenaries instead of sending their own men. But why not take them out yourselves?"

"Not looking for a fight. It would just give the NCR a reason to come up here and wipe Jacobstown out."

"Stupid fucking...That explains how Boone knew about this place. Why NCR had been sending scouts up here, those pricks probably wanting you out cause they want this place for themselves just like they do everything else."

"Again," Vulpes stood, his grin even more like a coyote's. "Are you really that surprised?"

"Don't." Jude warned. "Don't go acting like you...like you're any better. Where are they, Marcus?"

Marcus narrowed his eyes but didn't question what he'd heard and led her to the front gate.

"They're out on the road, among the trees." Marcus said. "You'll probably need to call out to them, with how thick the fog is getting. Please, try and avoid a fight if you can."

"Don't worry Marcus. Diplomacy is my middle name."

From the centre of the road, Jude could only just see the tree line and her steps echoed louder in the fog. It seemed stranger away from the lodge. More isolated.

She called out to the treeline as she walked and for a while, no one answered, and she wondered if they had run off back to Vegas.

Within moments of the thought, a bearded merc with a buzz-cut jumped out, aiming their rifle behind her. Jude ducked out the way, holding her hands up.

"Sorry, lady didn't mean to spook ya." The Merc laughed and lowered his gun, taking the chance to look her up and down - not unlike how Vulpes would. "Assumed you came from the town of muties. Feared they'd chase you down!"

"You're with the NCR, right?"

"Mercenary." He laughed and gave a wink. "Way better."

"You sure? Seems like a pretty shitty job making you come all the way out here."

"Tell me about it." The Merc scoffed. "But some NCR folks want the muties off NCR territory. Who am I to argue with them?"

"That's a lot of effort over some mutants." She smiled through gritted teeth.

"Well, if there is one thing Brahmin Barrons have that's larger than their stomachs, it's their wallets. Can only wait so long for the boys down in McCarren to get off their asses. "

"You mean McCarren don't know about this?"

The question made him shift his weight, holding his rifle with his finger close to the trigger, his grin faltering.

"Why don't you go take the long walk back down this mountain and ask them yourself, dollface."

"I ain't the one attacking a town unlawfully." Jude snapped back.

"It's a town of muties. Ain't no such thing as unlawful with them."

Jude could feel her blood rushing her skin, itching to grab the gun out his hands and beat him with it. She could already hear the sound his face would make, broken and bloody and-

"I think you and your Brahmin Barron friends need to discuss this with Colonel Hsu. Before they get themselves in more trouble than they can handle."

The Merc laughed. "You the best those muties can do? Let me guess? You fucked Hsu once when he was in Vegas, and now you think you can toss his name around to get us to leave this place alone?"

"Excuse me?"

"Think again, girlie."

Her fingers itched, stopped only by the men in the trees. Maybe if she moved fast enough...

"Now how about you run your pretty little ass back to Vegas and cry to someone who gives a shit. Maybe if you give Hsu a blow job, he might throw enough of a stink to get a tasteful memorial put up. But I doubt he'll care about a bunch of muties getting wiped off the map. No matter how good a dick you su-"

He didn't expect her to yank the rifle from his hands, and by the time he recovered enough to notice, she'd smashed the hilt into his face until she heard a crack and blood streamed.

He screamed, his hands flying to cover his nose.

God that felt better.

"My ph-uckin' 'ose!" He screamed as if his tongue had grown ten sizes too big.

"I don't see your men coming to your aid." She jeered. "Not very good service."

"They've been incapacitated." Vulpes stepped out from behind her, like a ghost from the thick fog. "Need to find better men Norton. I didn't even break a sweat." Vulpes laughed and threw a helmet at Norton's feet.

"Oh...shit!...Wook, just let me go, and I'll-How do-"

"Those were some rather demeaning things you were saying, Norton."

Vulpes kept his eyes on the man who was backing away and tipping his head back in an attempt to stem the bleeding.

"Ain't my fault she's a stupid whor-"

In a blink, Vulpes had his arm around the Merc's neck, tight enough to cut off any circulation, bringing the man to his knees. Norton kicked and tried to claw until Vulpes pressed a hunting knife to his throat, then he went still.

"Perhaps I don't know how it's done in the NCR, but I don't believe they'd be glad to hear some low life Merc had been going around disrespecting their hero."

"No she fucking is...isn't." The mercenary looked at her as if she had been wearing a disguise the first time he'd seen her, his eyes going wide before he cursed through the blood.

"Ph-uck."

Vulpes grinned, but it was stiff, forced out and looking more like a grimace by the end. "There it is."

Vulpes squeezed tighter.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He croaked, clawing at Vulpes arm but he didn't budge. "I didn't realise-!"

Vulpes loosened his grip and Norton gasped for air, his red face returning to its natural hue. He spat out a glob of blood.

"This was just a job! If you want us-"

"Us?" Vulpes queried. Norton flinched.

"Me...Oh, fuck! If you want me to leave, I'll go! You won't see me here again, just...please! I ain't into politics!"

"I don't know. You'd be of better use to me dead." Vulpes dug the knife in deeper, blood trickling out a small cut.

"No! Please! Don't! I'm begging you. Lady, please! Don't-"

"Vulpes stop!"

Vulpes looked up, as if ready to turn the knife on her.

"Oh fuck!" Norton cried, "...you...you're Legion?"

Jude realised then what she'd done.

"But...you...? When the NCR hear-!"

Jude laughed. "Go ahead. Try and tell them. I dare you. Let's see which of us they believe."

Norton went quiet.

"Let him go." she said

"Jude."

"I said, let him go."

For a moment she thought he wouldn't, that he would rather just kill the man and excuse it after and a sick part of her wanted him to. Slitting the Mercs throat and leaving him to bleed to death was what he deserved. But she'd made Marcus a promise.

"I'll be watching." Vulpes warned him and shoved the man to the asphalt. "So consider your next actions wisely."

Norton didn't hang around, struggling to his feet and booking it down the road as if worried they would change their mind.

"Don't look at me like that." Said Jude and headed back to the lodge.

"That was a stupid choice."

"Thanks for your opinion. I'll file it away under 'things I never asked for'."

"And if he says something?"

"He won't. And even if he does, they won't believe him."

"That's a lot riding on your reputation with the Bear."

"Just because you believe killing people solves every problem doesn't mean I do."

"Perhaps, you should. Then you wouldn't be in this mess."

"You're only calling it a mess cause I made a choice you didn't like. If you wanted him alive, it would suddenly just be 'part of the plan'."

"Because unlike most, I think things through."

Jude laughed. "You suggesting I didn't."

"If you had it would be a first."

"Then, why are you here!" Jude spun to face him but seeing his face only made it harder to stay angry. "If I'm so stupid, why are you bothering?"

"You aren't stupid. Foolish and naive perhaps but not stupid."

"Oh, great. That's so much better!"

"Marcus and those mutants are the only reason you let him go, am I wrong?"

"I-"

"You're a terrible liar, Jude. So don't start now."

"So what if it was?"

"Stop making choices based on what other people want of you. You aren't their slave."

"Coming from one of Caesar's bootlickers?" Jude jerked her arm out of his grasp and continued walking.

"What was your plan after you hit him? To dodge the storm of bullets his men would have rained down upon you? Or did you think you could beat him to death before his men finished what Benny failed to achieve? Your great tale of vengeance ending like most do, not with a bang but a pitiful whimper?"

"Careful Inculta. You almost sound like you care."

He grabbed her again, turning her to face him.

"He deserves to be fed to the Legion hounds for what he accused you of."

Jude glared up at him. "I don't need my 'honour' restored by you. Or your Legion spies."

He grinned like he was witnessing a kitten hissing at a Yao-guai.

"And leave you with all the fun?"

"You leave him alone." She warned.

"Or what?" Vulpes smiled, a coyote baring its teeth. Like that damned headpiece, he had worn back in Nipton.

Jude tried to think of an answer, but they all rang hollow.

He laughed. "That's what I thought."

Jude stormed back to the lodge before he could say another word, his laughter ringing in her ears.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-


	14. Chapter 14 - white dove

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Jude braced herself and emptied the bottle of vodka over the Nightstalkers head. The alcohol burned, seeping into the bite marks like battery acid. She could feel the fangs moving and tearing at flesh as Vulpes tried to pry the decapitated head off, only to drive the bottom teeth deeper. But the feeling dissipated as each second went by, the creature's jaw relaxing inch by inch.

It was difficult to absorb what had happened in the muggy lighting; her blood, like ink, spilt across the cave floor in the radioactive blue light of luminescent fungi and surrounded by the stink of metal and soured Brahmin milk that made her head swim.

She grunted as Vulpes shifted his tactics, one hand under the animal's top jaw and one under in an attempt to get the monster off.

"It's okay. It's gone numb." Jude grunted, trying not to focus on its teeth she was sure she could feel scratching at bone.

Vulpes kept an air of calm, but she could see he was seconds from standing and walking away. Leave her bleeding out for her stupidity until the lesson was learnt. How many Legion troops had he left for that exact reason? For a mistake that made them unworthy of his time?

"That isn't a good sign. It means the venom is kicking in." Vulpes said, voice hard. "You must have survived the Mojave on pure luck to have managed to Nipton, never mind Vegas, without getting yourself killed."

"You call this lucky?" she laughed. "I thought Calamity said their venom doesn't kill."

"Do you want to the leg?" He snapped.

"Cyber leg doesn't sound too bad." She grunted and pulled out a Stimpak and a bottle of Anti Venom. Vulpes held out his hand.

"I'm trying to help, Courier." He assured her, noting her hesitance. "Be grateful you're even getting that."

Jude sighed, and handed him the Stimpak then downed the full bottle of Anti Venom.

"Eugh!" She could feel it making its way down her throat, thick and burning as it went.

"Feel better?"

"No!"

"Good." Vulpes threw the Stimpak away.

"Hey!"

"You'll thank me." He unclipped the leather armour around her leg and shoved her pants leg up, revealing the mangled limb.

"I doubt it. Fucker!" She groaned, a tingling bringing back sensation and the pain along with it. "I liked it better numb."

"You can't just numb yourself when in pain."

"Why not?"

"Then you never learn what true pain is." He unscrewed a bottle of water and poured it over the wound, black and green blood trickling out to the ground.

Jude hissed. "Caesar feed you that shit?"

Vulpes pressed down hard with a rag and she tried not to hit him. "Chems make you weak. And you can't be reliant on Old World tech like Stimpaks and Med-X forever."

"Don't know! It sounds pretty good-Ah! Ah! What are you doing?" She cried.

The powder he tipped onto the wound may as well have cauterised them, the powder searing and fizzing into the open wounds like a hot pipe into cold water. Jude grasped Vulpes thighs, clinging to the fabric of his pants, what was left of her nails near tearing through them.

Vulpes didn't flinch; his face like stone as he wrapped the gauze around her leg.

"The Stimpak would have only made it worse." He said, filling the silence

"Brahmin shit!"

"Tell that to the men I've seen die after using those things. They only exacerbate the injury."

"Surprised you cared enough to even notice it was killing them! Or was that just something you spotted in between laughing as they died?"

"It takes years of rigorous training to create a Legionary worthy of the Legion. To lose even one good soldier is a great loss." He grinned. "Although, the men I sent into a Cazador nest would likely be more inclined to agree with your interpretation of me."

Jude couldn't do anything but laugh, partly from the pain and that she had expected anything better from him. "There's the Vulpes I know."

"Men were dying from infection. Our doctor argued that they were struggling to assist the soldiers as the men only went to them after the infection had taken hold or after they had made whatever mistake was causing the infection rate to increase tenfold. They needed fresh cases to find the cause. I provided them."

"I guess the men didn't realise they were being used as test subjects?"

Vulpes laughed. "If they were a soldier worth my time, they wouldn't have gotten themselves bit in the first place."

"Is that a dig at me?"

"As far as I'm aware, you weren't trained from childhood to withstand whatever the Wasteland throws at you."

Jude scoffed. "Doubt any of your guys could survive a bullet to the head."

"Two. Two bullets to the head." He corrected.

"One? Two? Does it really make a difference after one- Ah, fucker!" She swore as he tightened the gauze. Vulpes chuckled. "You still haven't explained why you threw the stimpak away." Jude groaned.

"The Stimpaks were the route cause of infection. They are much less effective than healing powder when it comes to venomous animals. Something in them reacts with the venom. Stops the skin knitting back together, leaving wounds open and prone to infection."

"And you discovered all that by killing some of your own men?"

"The Cazadors killed them. And I only learned this from those who survived. You shouldn't feel much in a couple of minutes."

He slipped the leg of her suit back down and clipped the damaged leather armour pad back in place before emptying more water over his hands, cleaning off the blood.

"Why? Will the healing powder have scorched the skin and muscle from my bone by then?"

"Stop being such a child. It's only a Nightstalker bite."

She took his hand, and he helped her stand. Her leg ached with even the smallest weight, but she pressed down, trying to get used to the feeling.

"Your bedside manner needs improvement."

"You're welcome."

Vulpes, let her stand on her own and retrieved the Stimpak he threw.

"Oh, so I'm allowed to keep it?"

"You aren't Legion. Yet."

Jude narrowed her eyes but didn't waste breath arguing, shoving it into her backpack along with the rest of the gauze.

Refusing his arm, she walked on ahead putting more pressure on the leg every couple of yards until she was only limping a little.

"Do Legion really not use Stimpaks? At all?"

"Kai-zar doesn't want us relying on Old World tech of any sort, no matter how helpful. At least for the time being."

"For the time being? That sounds ominous."

"If you spoke with Lord Kai-zar, he could explain it better."

"Why can't you? You've lived with the Legion your whole life right?"

"Since I was a child."

"Define child."

"Around six."

"Then why can't you tell me?" Jude asked. "Not like you're stupid or anything."

He stopped, his eyes analysing her face. "Is it bothering you? Not knowing?"

Jude pursed her lips, but the pain in her leg made making up a lie too much effort.

"Yeah. You talk about it as if it's some big secret. As if I'd understand and support the Legion if only I knew."

Vulpes reached up and brushed her hair away from her face, his thumb stroking her cheek as if she were the most delicate thing in the Mojave.

"Sounds as if the curiosity is eating away at you."

"Maybe."

He leaned in close, his breath tickling her cheek.

"Then you'll have to arrange to meet with Kai-zar then, won't you?"

Before she could answer, he walked off, laughing as if impressed with himself.

"Stultissima." She grumbled.

"It's stultissime." he called back. "Stultissima is what you would say when calling a woman an idiot. You would know that if you had a better instructor."

Jude grinned. "Do you have one in mind?"

"Perhaps."

The sound of ED-E's jingle echoed through the cave just as they reached a ridge that overlooked an open area filled with Nightstalkers. ED-E floated in, lasers firing with Lily swinging her chopper, hitting several of the creatures in one blow, cackling with glee.

"Oh hello, Pumpkin!" Lily waved up.

"Hey Lily! Wait there! We'll be right down!"

"Of course dearie! Be safe on the way! It's very steep! Wouldn't want you getting hurt now!"

Jude pulled Vulpes along, her leg only producing a slight throb instead of the agony from before.

Patches of Nightstalker eggs sat in bundles throughout the cavern, against the walls and around stalagmites. Enough, that if all of them hatched and survived, the mountain would be overrun with the blighters for months and Jude couldn't imagine what would happen to Lily's Bighorners or the other creatures on the mountain if that was allowed to happen.

"We'll need to destroy the eggs." She said. "Stop them overrunning the place again. Lilly could you-"

She didn't need to finish before Lily was off, cackling as she worked.

"Jude!" Vulpes called. He stood behind one of the larger stalagmites, his face contorted like he was trying to figure something out.

"Doctor Henry said he had sent mutants up here?"

"Yeah, why-Ah...Fuck."

It was a body of what Jude assumed to be a mutant as it was far too large to be anything else, but it had decomposed way past being identifiable. Chunks had been torn off, leaving mostly bone and cloth but it was still sticky. And among the bone and ooze, sat a chewed and mangled Stealth Boy.

"Well, shit." Jude muttered.

"Looks like Doctor Henry's theory was correct."

"You were listening?"

As she had spoken to Henry - first about Rex then about his Nightkin research with Lily - Vulpes had wandered around like a distracted child behind the doctor, attempting to get her attention by picking up every item in the Lab then making faces at whatever either the Doctor or herself said. Yet, she thought he had switched off the moment she had agreed to go up to the cave, a decision made just to spite him.

"I'm always listening."

"But why were they here? How did a mutant get killed by Nightstalkers of all things?"

"Underestimating the enemy is the number one killer in the Mojave. And Nightstalkers don't appear to appreciate such a slight."

Jude couldn't say anything to that. Once they finished destroying what eggs they found, Jude led them back out, catching a couple of stragglers on the way. She had hoped wiping the lot of them out would make her feel better, but with each one left in pieces and their blood splattered over her suit, the pit in her stomach only got deeper.

The fog had dispersed little through the day; the entire mountain bathed so thick that the sun struggled to get through. Yet it was bright outside after the darkness of the cave. Too bright.

Jude stumbled, a bolt of agony slamming through her head.

"You okay dearie?" asked Lily and grabbed her before Jude fell to the ground.

Jude struggled to breathe and her knees fought to keep her upright. She pushed herself off Lilly to press her head against the cold stone face beside her.

"I...just...just give me-"

_"The truth is...the game was rigged from the start."_

_"Revelations twenty-one, six. I am Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end...It was her favourite."_

_"Time to cash out."_

_"Just knowing...I thought it would be enough to keep me going." _

_"From where you're kneeling this must look like a twenty-eighteen carat round of bad luck."_

_"Please. Whatever you do, don't-"_

And the pain was gone.

"I'm fine." Jude gasped, leaning her head against the cold stone mountain face. "I'm fine." Her skin was clammy, the wind biting at her neck and face. She wanted to sit, to give herself a moment but forced herself to her feet before anyone could say a word. Only Vulpes was with her though, sitting on a boulder, a couple of yards away, fiddling with a Med-X needle.

"Where is everyone?"

"I sent Lily and ED-E back down to the lodge. She attempted to carry you back. I didn't think it necessary."

"Of course, you didn't." She grumbled. "How long-"

"Ten minutes. I only gave you a small dose. You've already taken five today."

And she thought she had been sneaky, taking the others when he wasn't around. Easier than explaining the non-stop pain in her head. Her heart thrummed, but her limbs felt loose, and the pain in her leg had lost its edge. She was a mix of wanting to run non-stop, and collapsing into the dirt, laying there till her head stopped spinning.

"You should see Julie about it." he said. "Might be some kind of alternative you ca-"

"Arcade is already looking into it." She didn't intend for it to sound as snappy as it did. "He...he noticed a while back. But it's difficult to stop when the thing bringing you down is..."

_The only thing between you and putting another bullet in your head, just to make the pain go away?_

"Jude?"

"Arcade is dealing with it." She smiled. "It's fine. Come on."

For a moment, she thought he would argue. Instead, he looked down at the Med-X needle as if it held an answer before slipping the cap back over the top and putting it back into his pocket.

The path down the mountain wasn't large and easy to miss due to the soft scattering of snow. Perhaps it had once been a well-worn path among the trees but in the centuries left alone, nature had taken its toll, leaving a faint route which to find and follow, they had relied on a mix of Lily's memory and Jude's Pip-Boy. Jude stared at the screen as they stomped down the path, making sure they were on the right one but the more she blinked, the more the lines shifted and appeared in doubles.

She blinked harder and looked away.

"Do you remember much? Of your life before it?" Jude asked, filling the silence.

"No." he said, eying her. "All I know is they were some unremarkable tribe from south of Utah."

"So you really are from Utah."

"Not everything I told you was a lie."

"Colour me surprised."

"What can I say? You bring out a better side of me." His teasing tone couldn't help but make her smile. Despite knowing it was the most heaping load of brahmin dung she'd heard from him, at least in the last hour, it was a nice thought.

"Must be more people from your tribe in the army then?"

"Of course."

"And I suspect you know who they all are?"

"I wouldn't be the head of the Frumentarii if I didn't know what was going on within our own walls."

"Do you have any siblings among them? Friends? Are any they related?"

"They don't get special treatment if that's what you're asking. And no, I have no siblings."

"That you know of."

"I would know."

"But they're your people. Why-"

"The Legion are my people. My loyalty lies with them all. Not only those within a weak tribe that fell to Lord Kai-zar."

"Do you have to call him 'Lord' every time?"

"You must work very hard to stay as ignorant as you are, Courier."

Jude pressed her lips together, the sound of muffled fury escaping in protest.

"Your tribe weren't weak cause they fell to Caesar."

"That is the definition of weak."

"You're allowed to be angry at Caesar for destroying them, you know that right? For taking away your home, for killing what you could have had? What about your parents? Your moth-"

"It isn't important." He cut her off.

"You really think I'm going to let this go just because it's a sensitive subject for you? When you've made your name by not only stabbing a knife in and twisting but pulling it out and tearing the guts out by hand?"

_"Jude!"_

She felt his voice down her spine. Just as it had done when he had uttered it in between her legs.

"Oh..." She crooned, slipping her hands up his chest, "Are you getting mad?" He shook under her fingers then against her chest as she pressed up against him. "That's the thing about you, _Inculta_. Can never tell if you want to kill me or fuck me when you get riled up like this."

"Usually both." He grunted, and his hand went around her throat.

His mouth was urgent against her own as if he believed he could pull her very soul from her if he tried hard enough.

For a second, she thought he had broken her as she stood, frozen in place. Engulfed in the feeling of him. Then it wasn't enough, and her arms slipped around his chest and over his shoulders, feeling the strength under the layers of clothes. She heard herself whimpering into his mouth like she couldn't contain the need. Inculta must have as well as within seconds he slammed her back into the nearest tree. The force knocked what little breath was left out of her but he didn't give her time to get it back, catching it with his own and slipping his tongue in with a satisfied moan. He tasted of cigarettes and something she could never quite place. His arms always so firm and warm that everything on the outside melted away. But something was missing.

While his hands were needy and wanting, they weren't seizing hold. His kisses rough but methodical, with purpose to the madness.

Like a dog being held back by a leash.

The ache between her legs wanted it off. Wanted the real Inculta to be clawing at her, craving her, no matter what it meant or what he would do.

Just the image of the cool, collected Desert Fox losing his coveted self-control because of her…

Jude shoved him off and stumbled backwards - further into the forest - grinning at the sight of the Butcher of Nipton clinging to the tree, frazzled.

She wouldn't go back. No matter how he looked at her. As if planning to devour her whole.

Jude winked. "You want me? You'll have to catch me first."

The grin on his face wasn't one she had seen before. A sadistic lust-fueled smile, his eyes trailing across her body.

"You're playing a dangerous game."

Jude just laughed, walking backwards.

"We'll see. Even foxes can't see through fog."

"Five-minutes. Then I'm coming for you."

"I don't need your head start."

"Just don't want your ego to be bruised entirely."

"Cocky asshole."

She was already losing. Wanting to go back. To screw the game and have Vulpes just take her as he had intended. Feel the heat of his mouth, his tongue then his hands under her suit till-

Jude backed away, Inculta watching every step. But the look in his eyes was different and Jude knew she would pay for her game when he caught her, but she suspected she would enjoy the form of punishment the Butcher of Nipton would have in mind.

Jude darted through the trees and fog, slower than she would have liked with her bad leg. Everything looking the same, all tall tree trunks with canopies hidden by fog. Through the thumping in her ears, she couldn't hear much but the odd bird cry and the crunching of leaves and snow under her feet. But no matter how far she ran, she could feel the pressure in her shoulders as if he were only inches away from grabbing and taking her like a wild animal in the woods.

The very thought made her thrum with desire. Tempted to stop and let him just have her. But Inculta would smell out deception like mole rats could sniff out dynamite. She could see the look in his eyes if he thought for even a second that the chase hadn't been legitimate. That she hadn't done everything in her power to stop him, making his success all the sweeter.

A shot of lightning shot through her head.

Jude stumbled but tried to ignore it, pushing herself through the trees, her legs like lead. Another bang shot through her skull, there and gone so fast Jude doubted herself for a moment. Her vision shifted, and the fog stirred. It was as if she had found herself in a dream, everything too bright and swimming as if viewed through the heat that rose from the desert sand. She was sure she saw the sun, but it was too blurred—just a yellow circle through the grey.

"Fuck."

The pain hit slow this time, building like someone was trying to tear out her eyes.

Jude staggered against a tree. Her stomach was swirling with every move of her head, the taste of bile on her tongue. She spat it out but still, it hung their, unmoving as her stomach churned. The lines on the Pip-Boy danced across the screen, each flicker ramming a new pain into her skull.

Her pocket was empty, and there were no syringes in her bag either, no matter how hard she looked through the haze.

Jude sobbed, her chest aching.

Foxx. He had the last syringe.

Where was he?

She couldn't remember. She needed to find him.

The trees stirred. The ground shifting under Jude's feet, trying to get her away.

_"I want you to witness the fate-"_

_"Make sure this is sent to-"_

The fog trembled, trees making shapes to jump out at her. Lights danced in her vision like the LEDs in the Vegas signs, forming faces she didn't know. From another time. An old man, smiling but looking so sad. People in lab coats. Too many faces and expressions to count.

Jude ran right into one.

They grabbed her arms, stopping her falling to the ground and bared their razor teeth.

"You okay miss-"

Jude shoved herself back, collapsing against a tree, and the pain was gone.

She closed her eyes hard and felt nothing. The forest around her back to normal.

What had happened? Where-?

The stranger was some caravaner, in a pair of well-worn pants held up by suspenders, and a patterned red shirt. Something in her brain blared red, trying to shove a square block into a round hole.

He stared at her, looking her up and down like he was seeing something he shouldn't and Jude felt a need to grab the Liberator which he eyed as if staring at a dead child.

"You." he said.

Jude laughed. "Sorry kid. I ain't whoever-"

The sound of a Ripper broke the silence.

Jude ducked, missing the chain-blade that shredded the trunk. She scrambled away, pulling out the Liberator just in time for it to clang off the metal, the chains and gears screeching against the blade.

The man glared over his weapon, enough hatred in his eyes to fuel the Hoover Dam.

"Courier." the man snarled it like an accusation or curse word. The same way Fiends and Legionnaires would spit it before throwing a grenade or shooting at her.

Jude shoved him back.

His hair was too neat. Had that been it? Or the way he held himself just a bit too tall? Or that he was a caravaner out in the middle of the woods without a pack Brahmin.

He raised the Ripper, pointing at the Liberator

"You have no right to Dead Sea's blade you profligate whore!"

He fought without flare or style. Just pure, logical force to either get the Ripper into her or knock her to the ground. Jude did her best to avoid him, blocking blows and dodging before the Ripper met flesh.

Jude evaded another strike, ducking and stumbling, grabbing a handful of dirt and throwing it at his face. He blundered backwards. Jude struck the handle, and the force sent it flying into the fog, the sound of the engine shutting off with it. His fist connected with her stomach. Jude crumpled. He grabbed her arms, and all she heard was a crack as his forehead hit her own.

She was staring at the sky—blues mixed with the orange of dusk. Stars sparkling but it was too early for them to be out. She tasted bile on her tongue and the scent of dirt filling her head.

Then hands were on her throat, and she couldn't breathe.

Jude grasped at the hands, but the pressure on her chest was crushing.

"Lord Kai-zar will rejoice at your death." He grunted.

Jude reached out across the dirt around her, fingers searching for something, anything.

"You're rotting corpse will-"

Jude smashed a rock into his temple, and his grip loosened. Jude gasped, the stars vanishing from the sky. She pushed him off and tried to sit up.

His eyes like fire, he scrambled to her but she grabbed the Liberator and swung around.

He ducked but it threw him off balance and into the dirt. Jude was on top of him in seconds, the Liberator to his throat.

"Why are you here? Who sent you?"

The Legionary spat in her face. She pressed it harder, almost drawing blood.

"You have seconds before I cut off your-"

"Jude!" Vulpes yelled. He skidded to a halt, his hands held up the moment he got to the scene. "Jude...What are you doing?"

"Do you know about him?" She demanded. "Fucking Legion ass-"

Vulpes frowned and looked down, then to her. "Jude?"

"I swear if you knew-"

Vulpes stepped closer, his hands out and face softer than she'd seen before. Almost gentle.

"What are you seeing Jude?"

"What do you mean what am I...I see a Legionary who just tried to kill me!"

Jude pressed the blade down, drawing blood and Vulpes grasped her arm.

"Jude look at me."

"Inculta you're acting-!"

"Look at me Jude!" He snapped.

Jude did as she was told, taken aback. "Vulpes what-"

He took her face in both his hands. "I need you to drop the blade."

"No!"

"Jude please!"

"Fucker I'm not-"

"There's nobody there Jude!"

Jude had almost stepped off the edge of a bluff face once. Felt her feet free fall, all the air leaving her lungs and heart jump into her throat before Boone grabbed and pulled her back to safety.

Yet she would relive that moment a thousand times if it meant what Inculta had just said was a lie.

"No."

"Let go."

"Don't you even dare."

"You're in an attack. I can give you some Med-X and-"

"No. Don't you even dare try and…and...try and fucking p-pull this shit on-"

"Jude...let go."

"Stop it." Her voice broke. "Vulpes stop it."

He placed his hands over her own, his eyes not leaving hers. "Jude let go of the blade."

"Stop lying!"

He squeezed her hand. "Let go of the blade, Jude."

"He's there! I can see...!"

But she couldn't. He faded like the fog, and she wasn't as sure anymore.

Her heart thudded till all she could hear was her own blood rushing in her head.

"No...I could...I hit him. He tried to...He was right...I couldn't-"

The lights returned.

"It's okay. I'm right here Jude. I'm with you."

The ground swallowed her.

"Jude. Trust me."

And she let it.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-


	15. Chapter 15 - lambs to slaughter

tw/cw: violence and smut.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"Looks like a mild grand mal seizure."

"A seizure?"

Doctor Henry shrugged and switched off the torch, letting the Courier's eye close.

"Just a mild one." Henry shrugged, but Vulpes wasn't finding his lack of concern amusing. The nearby lamp was becoming a more and more attractive blunt force object with each passing comment the Doctor made and his last sounded like an oxymoron, but Vulpes held his tongue. Not that it mattered anyhow. Mild seizure or not, Jude rested on the bed, sound asleep and alive. If Vulpes had arrived just a couple of moments later, he wasn't sure what he would have found.

"That head injury she has...The scar. Any idea when and how she got it? Looks relatively recent." Henry asked.

Vulpes couldn't help but wonder where the curiosity had been days or even hours before as the Doctor had stood before the woman and asked for her assistance, and one look in the Doctor's eyes as he jotted down notes on his clipboard was all the answer he needed. She was an annoyance turned curiosity. He didn't even-

_(Don't start throwing stones fox-face.)_

"Less than two months ago I believe?" He leaned against the wall near the vanity, glaring down the Doctor as if it would make him implode. "Shot in the head after a robbery."

"So she's that Courier out of Goodsprings Mr New Vegas kept talking about?" Henry tutted. "Figures. Afraid I'm not asking just to pry into her personal affairs. Any kind of head injury puts a person into the risk category for reoccurring seizures." Henry said. "No doubt she'll have been taking some kind of pain relief on top of it all. Does she drink?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Good. Good. Though, I'm surprised this is the first one she's experienced. Did anything unusual occur up in the trail? Or over the past couple of days? Something different to her usual routine? Any news that could change her emotional state? Cause her stress?"

_(tell him. dare you)_

"Guessing the Nightstalker bite doesn't count?" Vulpes joked.

"Afraid not. Not in the Mojave."

_(double-dog dare you.)_

"What kind of stress are we talking about here?"

"It would need to be like the Nightstalker bite but as if she was being bitten by a new one every couple of steps. A consistent stressor. One thing after another that doesn't allow her to deal with the last thing. The body requires time to process new stimuli. When it doesn't get that, it reacts, and with people prone to seizures, that can be a way it responds."

_(triple-dog-dare you.)_

"Fascinating."

"Not sure that was the case though. The Mojave is harsh at the best of times but if she's the type to take the bullet to the head and walk it off I doubt there is much else that can phase her. Though, you never know. What I'm wondering is if it was a mix of all those med's she's on and the Nightstalker venom. Some bad hallucinogenic reaction. Once I've finished my work with the Nightkin, it would be interesting to look into."

Henry finished what he was writing and looked Jude over with an analytical gaze like she was some kind of puzzle before he turned to Vulpes.

"She'll be fine son. But make sure she sees me come morning. I'd like Calamity to run a couple of tests before I send her to wander back into the wastes. Make sure she's still ticking over as best she can, given the circumstances. But no matter the outcome, it's probably best she sees that Doctor Usanagi down in Freeside. She's good. Switched on. And has more resources to help her than I do. I'm afraid I'm better with animal brains than with human."

_(quadruple-dog-)_

"Thank you for your help regardless, Doctor."

"Haven't done anything yet. Though it was a good thing you were out with her. She could have hurt herself worse than she did or could still be laying out there during that snowstorm. You'll need to keep an eye on her if these are to become more frequent. She can't be left alone. Not till she's medicated properly."

Vulpes nodded, but his mind was numb, and the praise sat wrong.

Jude lay tucked under the sheets on the bed they shared; bruised, but clean from the dirt, snow and blood. When he stumbled on the scene, her lip had bled down and off her chin, yet she hadn't seemed to notice. Nor feel that her infamous scar had reopened, bleeding as if she'd been shot again and he thought, just for a moment, that the stupid boy had managed what Benny failed to.

Vulpes pulled the box of cigarettes and lighter from his pocket, slipping one into his mouth. It was almost a ritual at this point. Box. Cigarette. Lighter. Click, and all the worries disappeared. Caesar wouldn't approve.

"Calamity can watch her for a bit son." Doctor Henry said. "You go get some air. You look like you need it."

Nightfall dropped the temperature significantly and brought a snowstorm with it. It had risen to a foot off the ground or more in spots, glistening in the faint lamp lights of the lodge. Vulpes tugged the zipper up under his chin and stepped off the porch; towards the dark and quiet cabins. He slid a cigarette back into his mouth and lit it, letting the smoke fill his noisy head with nicotine, tuning it down to near silent. It still banged and screamed incandescently, demanding attention, but at least he could hear himself think for just a moment.

"You took your time." The young Legionary stepped out from between cabins, in better shape than he had been when Vulpes first found him—pinned under Jude and about to lose his head.

Vulpes kept his eyes close and breathed deep, savouring the smoke.

"I was occupied," Vulpes replied.

"With what? Fucking that Courier whore again?"

Vulpes eye twitched.

"Covering for you." He replied, blowing out a plume of smoke.

"She believed it?"

"She's still unconscious, so we'll see. Not that it matters. You escaped with your head. Just. You should be grateful."

"I had it under control."

Vulpes laughed, the sound sharp. "Is that what you call control? If I hadn't stepped in the only thing you would have had, is the glory of being the next head she sent to Caesar." Vulpes shook his head and took another drag. "What brought you here Tulio?"

For a moment he expected the Cursor not to answer out of pure spite. The young man was grimacing as if he'd downed an entire gallon of spoiled brahmin milk as he reached into his back pocket and handed him a rolled letter, tied with a string.

"Correspondence from Lord Caesar." He said.

"Caesar? What does it say?"

Tulio rolled his eyes.

"I would tell you if I could read the damned thing. It could be a Latin dictionary for all I know. What I do know is when giving me the letter Lord Caesar felt the need to add 'and tell him to move his fucking ass before I send people to move it for him'. Verbatim. He didn't sound too happy."

Glancing over the letter certainly didn't make Caesar sound any cheerier. It appeared the soldiers from Sunnyvale had returned to the Fort with a grand tale of their attempt to defend the town from the terrifying Courier, and a traitorous Inculta who had appeared to steal her away, leaving them with a ransacked and terrorized town. From the state of the letter, the story had gotten through a chink in Caesar's armour, and Vulpes could see how his recent absence from his side wouldn't have helped matters, but it was insulting. Caesar had sent a Cursor to retrieve him like he was an object to be fetched by one of the Legion mutts and all the Cursor could say about it was 'he didn't sound too happy'.

"Great." Vulpes muttered.

Tulio snorted. "What do you expect when you don't let him know what you're up to for over a month? Even the great Vulpes Inculta can't get away with that one."

"I sent another Cursor with notice a week ago. From Boulder City." Vulpes said.

"Caesar hasn't received any word from Boulder in months and he's been checking regularly last I heard. And I doubt it said anything of merit coming from you. What was it you could have possibly written? Sorry? Can't reply or return to my Mars given duty as I'm too busy fucking the enemy? Be back...never?"

"You have quite a mouth on you for someone who almost died, Tulio."

"And you have an attitude problem." The Cursor spat. "Surprised Caesar even lets you near him. Lanius was right. You bring dishonor to the uniform and are a disgrace to the Legion. When the Monster of the East returns he'll ensure your remova-"

Vulpes slammed into Tulio like a super sledge and pinned him against the cabin wall.

"What the phu-" Tulio mumbled against the wood. He tried to elbow Inculta off but the Frumentarri pulled his head back by his hair and slammed it forward. Tulio groaned, his head swimming, as Inculta crushed his face into the cabin.

"Lanius is an overgrown thug and a fool. And here I was trying to be gracious. Believing your severe lack of judgement to be a one-time thing. That attacking the Courier without thinking was due to your unwavering loyalty to the Legion," said Inculta. "But it appears such mistakes are just an amusing pastime for you."

"What I find amusing," Tulio mocked, grunting as Inculta pressed harder, "is you, acting as if this vacation you took to fuck the Courier is helping the Legion."

The Frumentarri laughed. It was cold.

"You're young. But that doesn't excuse ignorance on how the Legion operates." He grasped Tulio's arm and pulled it back and up to a painful, awkward angle. "Cursors only truly require their legs to do their jobs, isn't that correct?"

"What are you-"

"So you won't miss it if I-" Inculta yanked the arm up, the crack as glorious a sound as Jude whimpering sweet pleadings in his ear. Tulio cried out, but it didn't carry far, absorbed by the snow around their feet. Inculta lifted his arm higher. "Shh. Shh. Just...Just...Shush...bear with me...I need to make sure this doesn't-" Another crack. "...Reset."

Tulio cried into the wooden cabin walls, "You aren't-"

Vulpes laughed. "I'm afraid I am. And I just _did_. And I also hope you remember Cursor; you owe me your life. For I certainly will."

He dropped him to the ground, Tulio's legs buckling. Spread out in the snow, he tried to get up with his bad arm only to double over in agony.

"You fucker!"

"Now insulting a superior officer?" Inculta tutted. "Not looking good for you."

"You think you'll still be a superior of anything once Caesar and Lanius find out about this? About your _whore_? I saw you sucking her face, you asshole! You two fucking in that building with the crucifixes the other day? How can you claim that fucking our enemy is hel-"

Vulpes rammed his foot into Tulio's stomach. The Cursor doubled over, retching his last meal onto the white snow. Before Tulio could right himself, Vulpes knelt over the Cursor and onto his broken arm.

Vulpes had brought the hunting knife out of habit or perhaps it had been Mars, hoping for the sacrifice about to occur in his name. Tulio yelped, making a weak attempt to push the older and heavier man off but, the young man's eyes had glazed over with an expression Inculta often saw in bodies attempting to function through abject suffering, forcing themselves to survive no matter the cost. It was always a magnificent sight. And Tulio would need it for what was coming.

Vulpes grabbed Tulio's tongue between his thumb and finger, pulling it taut. As the blade slid through the meaty flesh as if it were little more than molerat meat, Jude crossed Vulpes mind. His Courier wouldn't have approved of such a sight, of the gloves she got him helping grip hold of the slippery appendage; of the sight of him holding the twitching muscle before it turned to deadweight as Tulio kicked and cried under him. She would have stopped him despite all Tulio had done, and all he'd caused Vulpes to do. But she would forgive him after a time. She always did. Always would.

Tulio bucked and kicked, still yelling, but the blood filling his mouth turned it into little more than gargled noise. Vulpes stood, wiping his knife on his pants as he threw the warm lump into the snow behind him.

"I'll get something written up for you to take back to Caesar. In the meantime, use the snow and try not to bleed out?"

Tulio had rolled onto his good side, letting the blood drip from his mouth, but didn't meet his Inculta's eyes. He could see him second guess whether or not he should use the snow as told but after a moment he grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his gaping maw, whimpering in pain. Yet he'd listened. A good start.

Back inside, he got a pen and paper from Doctor Henry and returned to the room where Calamity waited with Jude. She assured him nothing had changed with Jude since he'd been gone but did question the new stains on his shirt.

"Jumped by some Nightstalkers while out." His smile was sickly sweet. "Must be some stragglers from the nest. Can't get a moment's peace it seems."

"I hear that. Did think I heard some strange noises from outside, but when don't you in the Mojave?" She laughed at her own comment, and once she'd checked Jude over, she left. Finally alone, the first thing he did was remove his jacket and gloves, cleaning the gloves in the sink till the water ran clear and leaving them to dry on the unused towel rack.

He sat at the vanity, Jude still fast asleep.

The pen Henry had provided was old, battered and worn enough he wondered if it would even make it through the message so he kept it short. He promised his return to the Fort within a week, affirming his full loyalty to the Legion and a full explanation when he returned. To mention Jude, at least in passing, was tempting. A small attempt to clear the air, but he knew how easily words could be misconstrued and twisted to suit the needs of others, and Lanius wasn't the only one who wanted him cast from Caesar's side. At least his new Cursor friend wasn't about to go running his mouth with even more ammunition for such vultures before Vulpes was ready to speak to Caesar himself.

"Can you turn off the light?"

The voice was so soft he scarcely thought he'd heard it but turning to the bed he found Jude, covering her eyes and already attempting to sit up.

He was at the light in a flash, switching it off then back to her side in a couple of strides, leaving only one side lamp on the dresser lit.

"How are you feeling?"

Instead of answering, she flung off the blankets.

"Hot." Was all she said, and she tried to stand on the other side of the bed, swaying on the injured leg that had been rebandaged by Calamity as she slept.

"It's snowing outside."

"Still too hot. What's your point?" She grumbled and limped to the bathroom, where she splashed her face with running water. "Feel like I've been hit with a super sledge."

"You know what that feels like?" He teased and took a bottle of water from the vanity.

Jude chuckled. "Unfortunately."

If Vulpes didn't know Jude, he'd believe the sink was the only thing keeping her upright. Her arms trembled, a subtle shaking he almost missed.

He held out the water, and for a second, he thought she didn't notice it as she stared into the mirror with her big brown eyes all glazed over like she wasn't entirely there. But then she took the bottle from him, and the look was gone.

"What happened to my face?" She asked, unscrewing the cap.

"What do you remember?"

She held up her hand for him to wait as she finished chugging the entire bottle, gasping as she finished then shook her head. "Walking out of the cave? Then I...I got an attack, right? Ugh." She reached up for her scar only to find the bandage as if she hadn't spotted it in the mirror. She flinched and shut her eyes tight. Vulpes took her arm. While her legs were steady for now, he didn't trust them to stay that way.

"You should be resting."

"I'm fine." She laughed and looked back to the mirror, analysing her injuries but then it was like she caught something in the-

"Why is there blood in the sink?"

_(Getting sloppy Fox-face)_

"I went for a cigarette and got jumped by Nightstalkers. I dealt with it."

"After all that, we didn't even get them all?"

"Must have been some stragglers."

She analysed him as if there was something off or a change that would give away the entire charade but after a moment she accepted it. Reluctantly. "Y'know it's funny. I wouldn't even know if you were lying to me or not."

He grinned that sickly sweet grin that had worked on Calamity.

"Guess you'll just have to trust me."

Jude scoffed. "That my only opti-ah-" She staggered against the sink and he grabbed her.

"Bed. Now."

Jude grumbled something he didn't hear but she accepted her fate, leaning against him as he led her back to the bed.

She attempted just to fall back, only to regret the choice immediately and try again, only this time easing her leg up with her and laying her head onto the pillow slowly.

"I'm falling to pieces." She grumbled. "No good to anyone like this."

"You survived a bullet to the head. You'll be fine."

"Two bullets." She reminded him. "Doesn't mean I ain't fallin' to pieces. You still haven't told me what the hell happened? What did I do? Faceplant coming out of the cave?"

Vulpes turned the chair from the vanity around to face the bed and sat. It took him a moment before he could say it; the words tasting bitter.

"You had a seizure."

Jude just laughed. "A what?"

"Doctor Henry called a Grand mal-"

"Grand?"

"He said it was a mild one."

"Oh, just a mild grand mal-"

"He recommended you see Doctor Usanagi in Freeside. Get yourself checked out."

Jude laughed again.

"The NCR's crazy doctor?"

"Crazy doctor?"

"Well, she's a Follower. But the NCR send their soldiers to her for therapy. To go over their traumatic experiences in the field which I get, heck I've sent several of their more stubborn soldiers to her, but I don't need that kind of treatment. I'm-"

"You hallucinated Jude." His mouth felt dry.

"I...what?"

"Don't you remember? How you got those injuries?"

Her brow furrowed.

"I found you in the forest. You'd already hit your head at that point. It looked like you'd fallen down a steep ledge, hit a root or something."

Vulpes took her hands, rubbing his thumb over the reddened skin. "You were rambling about someone attacking then you fell into a seizure."

She was quiet for a moment, staring at him the same way she had over at the sink.

"Brahmin shit."

"Jude."

"I don't get seizures." She said as she tried to force herself into a sitting position. "If this is one of your stupid-"

"Henry mentioned you would be high-risk cause of-"

"Don't go blaming this!" she pointed to the bandage, "Don't you think if I was going to have them I would have done so by now?"

"He did wonder out loud if it had been triggered by the Nightstalker venom and all the other drugs. It's a possibility."

"A possibility." She mocked. "No doubt created by your meddling. What did you do? What do you get out of it?"

"He wants to see you in the morning. His prognosis may change."

Jude went quiet and glared at the ceiling, patched worked with stains. He still held onto her hand through it.

Jude was the first to speak.

"If...if you hadn't found me...?"

"You could still be out there. I would have still been looking of course."

Jude snorted. "What? To make sure I was dead?"

He smiled and shrugged. "Molerats and buzzards need food too."

Her laugh and the squeeze she gave his fingers was enough to ease the tension in his shoulders, but the smile that followed was sad as before.

"The Doc say anything else?"

"Suggestion was made that you don't travel alone for a while. Just in case it happens again."

"You tagging along back to Freeside after all, then?" She teased.

"If necessary."

"And explaining to Caesar you're late back cause you needed to escort your fuck buddy back home just in case she collapsed from a seizure? Yeah, I can see that happening." She shook her head as she scoffed at him, "Don't worry about me. I'll find someone. Was thinking of asking Lilly to tag along down to Vegas anyway."

Vulpes had begun laughing before she completed the sentence.

"What?"

"You'll get shot at before you even get close to Westside nevermind Vegas." He warned.

"Lily's harmless."

"A rabbit is harmless. A Nightkin carrying a vertibird blade as a weapon is as far from harmless as you can get. And you won't be the first thing anyone will notice as you approach a town."

Jude shrugged. "Rex isn't that scary to look at."

"Don't be obtuse, Jude."

"Obtuse?"

"Stupid."

"She's a Nightkin wearing a sunhat and poncho with a daisy on it? How can anyone be afraid of that?"

"Nightkin wear strange things all the time. No human will see a difference."

She pulled her hand away, running it down her face.

"If Marcus and this Jacobstown are going to succeed, I think it would be good to show off a little of what it's doing. So more traders feel safe enough to trade here. Maybe people would be willing to come up this way and protect it and know that if the mutants here do fight back, it isn't cause they're bloodthirsty monsters."

Vulpes followed her hand, from sitting on the chair, to the edge of the bed.

"You'll also be alerting people to the existence of a mutant colony up in the mountains, and not many will be happy about it. Many will try to do the same as Norton did."

She rolled her eyes and shuffled her way down till her head rested on the pillow.

"Then I'll make sure only to tell people I think can handle it without throwing a fit. It's a work in progress idea Inculta. Just think it will be good for people to meet Lily."

"And encourage them to befriend the next Nightkin they meet _before_ it beats their head in with a baseball bat? Sounds like a great plan."

"You could at least pretend to sound positive. You're supposed to be good at pretending."

Vulpes leaned over her, hands at either side of her head.

"You plan to put yourself in the company of a mutant for an extended period of time and you expect me to be happy about it."

"It's Lily." She said as if it explained it all and should end the conversation.

"The one with a split personality who wants to rip your scalp off?"

"That was Leo and he didn't mean it. Careful Inculta, you almost sound concerned for my well being." She laughed it off, but it hit him like the swipe of a Deathclaw.

_(Go on, admit it. You-)_

Vulpes grinned through his chest squeezing tight, too tight to breathe, and climbed onto the bed, leaning over her fully.

"Did you miss the part where I said he wants to rip off your scalp?"

Jude smiled, coyly, from below and played with his t-shirt, making patterns with her fingers against his chest.

"Lily also calls me Becky, so I don't take much of what either of..." she trailed off, staring into his eyes.

"Everything okay?"

"A Legionary." She said. "The man I said I saw when you found me. He was a Legionary? Right?"

Calamity may have well just thrown a bucket of snow from outside onto him. Would have achieved the same result.

"I was angry...but at you? I thought you knew him?" She refocused and again he was under scrutiny. "Vulpes?" Her tone was accusing, cold.

Vulpes laughed it off and nuzzled into the crook of her neck.

"You think I knew the man you hallucinated you mean?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never mentioned that part." He muttered, planting kisses up to her ear.

"Why would I-aaah-ah!" He nipped that point again, and again, she pressed up into him, her bare leg sneaking around his and sliding up.

Vulpes grinned, her teeth grazing the delicate arch of her neck.

"What was that?" He murmured, his lips tracking down her neck to her chest, the thin and cropped tank top leaving very little to the imagination.

"I...why wouldn't...Just strange I imagined a Legion-ah! Fu-"

He'd left a wet patch on the thin fabric, around one of the raised nipples that had pushed up against it, aching for his touch.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He took his mouth and tongue to it again, his hand gripping her waist tight, and her body curving toward him in kind, "I didn't quite catch that?"

She didn't look down at him but at the ceiling, her fingers deep into the bedsheets.

"I...I just-"

_(Stubborn little whore isn't she?)_

"Yes...?" He slid his hand down, his fingers grazing her skin before skimming the edge of her underclothes.

"I- I feel like you're trying to...distract! Me."

"Oh?" Vulpes felt her wet heat through the fabric. Gods, he could rip them off and slide right in, and the sound Jude made at his touch was enough to tempt him. Always so needy. So desperate. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Jude rocked her hips off the bed towards his hand, and he obliged her, pressing harder, his thumb rolling over her swollen nub, making her mewl.

"Now what was it..." his lips ghosted over her hardened nipple and eyes trained on her, "you were saying."

Her eyes were closed, and swollen lips sat apart, letting her tiny moans whimper out.

"Please."

Vulpes grinned wide and inched the top of her vest down, stopping just before his prize could escape to him.

"Please...what?"

Jude smiled. "_Please_ stop being such a pussy Inculta and fuck me alre-"

His hand around her throat shut her up, but the smile on her lips gave her away.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it sounds like you _want_ me to hurt you." His mouth ghosted against hers and she tried to reach for him, only to be pushed back into the mattress.

"Please do." she begged.

He shouldn't be doing this. His Courier was hurt enough as it was and Tulio was waiting, likely bleeding out. Yet her soft, swollen lips called him, close enough he could feel their heat. The gash on her lip had already re-bloomed with blood.

Gods, he could almost taste it. And he wouldn't get to taste her again for such a long time.

"Vulpes." She moaned. "I'm begging you ple-"

Her mouth was hot. Feverishly so. Where swollen, they felt far too soft and smooth, while the cut was rough. Blood salty and bitter as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and met her own. Jude whimpered, digging her fingers into his scalp and dragging as she tried to stop him despite what she wanted as if she had control over what was going on or ever had.

Her skin was scalding against his as if he'd stepped into a fiery Laconicum with no cold baths for relief and it felt like a triumph. While he held the reins, she set the course; her mouth turning as filthy as the things he wanted to do to her. Clothes discarded, she sucked and bit at his skin, each mark like a branding as her legs pulled him closer, rocking him deeper, deeper.

"Vulpes." Jude gasped. "_Please_."

He groaned and shifted, bucking into her harder, faster: her name like a prayer on his lips until she shattered around him. Clenching into his grip, into his chest but he didn't stop and neither did she.

It was a dangerous game she was playing; the heel of her hand pushing against his chest as he kept going, doing as much as a paper knife. Her leg did more work, the heel of her foot digging him deeper and locking him in place as if that alone would ensure his seed would fill her so full it would drip down her soft sweet-

Gods, she would haunt him to his grave.

-/-/-/-

Vulpes cleaned up the results of their tryst, refusing to let Jude stand after such 'excitement' but it only made him wish he'd gone with his gut. Less mess. At least in the short term.

"Is this how all Legion men treat their women? Or are you just an exemplary example?" Jude asked, watching him return from the bathroom. Her leg peeking out from the sheets making him wish he'd just killed Tulio after all.

"Insulted you even have to ask." He grinned as he pulled his pants back on and buckled the belt.

"Going somewhere?"

"Doctor Henry left some papers here. Just going to return them before he barges in for it." He replied, grabbing his shirt she'd thrown across the room.

"Now? Can't it wait?"

"It will take minutes."

"Are the notes about me? Can I have a look?" She tried to peer up and over, but he'd folded the letter in half and placed more papers overtop.

"Seems to be about the Nightkin research."

"Dang it."

"You can ask Henry about it tomorrow. I'll let him know you woke up." He kissed her softly, making her laugh.

"Pretty sure the whole building knows that by now." She teased before kissing him again. "Hurry back."

Henry was distracted as he passed the open door and a cart of drugs, not noticing as Vulpes dumped the blank papers and swiped a Stimpak and a couple of bags of healing powder.

It had only gotten colder outside, and without a jacket, the wind nipped at his skin like tiny scalpel slashes.

Tulio wasn't in the spot Inculta had left him, the blood trail leading into the cabin next to it. Despite his bad arm, the Cursor had crawled into the cabin and to the bed, curling up at the side. From the trail, it seemed the snow had worked to stem the worst of the bleeding, but Tulio still held his arm to his mouth, the sleeve seeped in blood.

"Apologies, for the delay." Inculta knelt, eying the pitiful man as he felt the sides of his lips upturn. "Our poor Courier friend is finally awake. Though unfortunately, she had some questions about memories of a Legionary attempting to kill her." Inculta pulled out the Stimpack and part of him expected resistance. He could see Tulio twitch as the automated response kicked it, to yell how Stimpaks were a poison the Legion didn't dirty themselves with, but the fight fizzled out as quick as it arrived and he again looked away. Inculta pulled the stopper off the end. "Lucky for you, like the typical woman she struggles to think straight with a cock inside of her." He jammed the needle into his leg and forced the plunger down. It was too late for it to fix any of the wounds, but it would stop him bleeding out. "Things we do to maintain our cover, right?"

The rage in Tulio's eyes, mellowed and Vulpes kept on.

"For the journey back to the Fort." Vulpes showed him the bags of the healing powder before slipping them into the boy's satchel, then held up the letter. "And the letter as promised."

Tulio eyed it, his hands twitching as he tried to figure out how to get it into his jacket without taking his arm from his mouth.

Vulpes sighed and did it himself. He motioned for the boy to tip his head and arm up, and like he was dressing a child, he unzipped the boy's jacket and slipped the letter into the inside pocket then zipped it back up; patting it when done.

"You're free to stay in here till the morning but make sure you're away before daylight and don't let the mutant at the gate see you leave. You must have some sense as you avoided being seen long enough to get to me. And don't rely on the powders alone. Do try to get some care for your injuries before returning to the Fort. Siri isn't a miracle worker. She won't be able to save you from an infection."

Tulio didn't look at him but nodded.

"I'll be back at the Fort within a week. Make sure to visit when I have. I may find myself with some jobs for you."

Tulio frowned and glanced up, like a gecko checking the coyote's jaw was still around its neck before he nodded.

Inculta grinned.

"You know what Tulio?" He said, wiping a spot of blood from the man's cheek. "I have a feeling, you're going to become _extremely_ useful to me."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

AN: Thanks for waiting so long for this one. Been busy with my personal project and hoping it will stay that way so can't promise updates will be any faster but just that they will come!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you next time! :)


	16. Chapter 16 - That's Life

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Vulpes had never noticed just how much colour there was in New Vegas until he returned to the Fort's muddle of red and gold. Compared to the Strips vibrant, shimmering lights, it was all so simple. And yet, as he had made the trek up from the main gate to his tent, he couldn't help but compare the two. The sounds, the smells, the sights. Just like the city, the Fort never slept, forever teaming with bodies, with life and every inch seemed forever illuminated with torchlight, like a child attempting to scare away a monster. Through the sounds of blades against whetstones and loud conversation, of guffawing laughter and clanging of metal against metal, he felt his lip upturned the same way it had done when he first wandered the Strip.

But he wasn't on the Strip.

He was _home. _

Vulpes realized he had been standing idle outside his tent as if waiting for something when a gunshot went off in the distance. Followed by another then another in quick succession.

The gunshots being fired behind Caesar's tent were loud, bordering on obnoxious and after each, a fleeing bird dropped from the sky, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. The sand and stone that covered the level terrain of the recreation area was stained with blood and scattered feathers that danced in the slight breeze. In the distance - across the Colorado River - sat the Hoover Dam, haloed in red and pink on the horizon as the sun set around them.

And in the centre of the busy rec area, reloading a shotgun, stood Caesar with Lucius at his side.

He didn't acknowledge Vulpes at first, focused on the bird, but the others around did, murmuring among themselves, having no doubt heard the rumours of his absence and the state Tulio had returned in. Not one capable of returning his gaze.

Caesar raised his gun and a legionary Vulpes recognized as the Augury, took the motion as an order, unlocking one of the cages and allowing the bird to fly free in a wild panic of feathers and squawking. The next shot reverberated in Vulpes' head, the bird dropping from the sky.

Caesar grinned and popped out the spent cartridges, letting them fall to the ground, a small pile forming at his feet.

He turned to Vulpes, the first acknowledgement of his presence, and motioned to the many dead birds that lay before them.

"Beat that, kid."

Despite the carefree tone, Vulpes didn't miss how gaunt the leader of the Legion appeared. In the view short weeks Vulpes had been away it was as if their Leader had aged a lifetime, his face thinner and his tawny, leathery skin having a sickly grey undertone. The unasked question sat on the tip of his tongue, but it wasn't the time or place. Far too many eyes watching.

Vulpes took the remaining gun from the barrel beside him, near a plate of fine cheese and berries. It was heavy in his hands but familiar, a weight he'd missed in his time away. That with the stink of gunpowder rich in the air, stirred memories of a young man aiming down the sights only to miss every time. Vulpes raised the weapon and the Augury released another bird, the creature shooting into the sky in a flurry of feathers. Vulpes followed the arc and pulled the trigger, the bird falling seconds before the boom of the shot echoed across the River.

Caesar snorted.

"At least he hasn't forgotten how to shoot!" That got a laugh from the crowd that had formed around them.

"Forgotten how to write though it seems," said Lucius who stood at Caesar's side, his power fist gleaming in the evening sun. Unlike Caesar, Lucius hadn't changed the slightest. Even as a boy, Vulpes recalled Lucius looking the same as he did now, though he had perhaps gotten a little more grey since taking over as the head of the praetorian guard five years earlier. "Almost thought you weren't going to come back."

"Have a little more faith, Lucius." Caesar raised his gun again as another target was released and felled with one shot. "I never doubted him for a second."

_I never, he says. But he never stopped others for doubting for him. _

"Apologies my Lord." Vulpes bowed his head. "An interesting lead came up."

"You said as much in that letter of yours. Though little else. I've gotten used to your obscuring of details in reports Vulpes, but your last message was about as clear and concise as the New California political sphere."

Vulpes followed the path of the bird through the scope.

"It was too risky to send any word. It wouldn't have gone well in the case it got intercepted."

"And removing Tulio's tongue?"

Vulpes lowered his gun after a direct hit. "He was being mouthy."

That made Caesar give out a roar of laughter, but Lucius was still on the letter.

"The Bear struggles to stop Fiends, nevermind one of our Cursors. I'm sure whatever information you were so desperate to keep secret would have stayed such."

"It was mere precaution. I didn't want the contents getting out and informing my mark. They are fond of that little Courier, after all."

Caesar froze midshot; the bird given its freedom that day.

"What have you gone and done this time Inculta?"

"I turned the NCR's golden girl from a thorn in our side, to a potential ally. That's what I've done."

"Do I want to know what compelled you?"

"From the marks on him, her cunt appears to have been the leading incentive." Lucius remarked.

Caesar laughed, but there was an edge to the sound. He raised his gun to the sky.

"Thought you had more sense that to go around fucking the local wildlife Vulpes. What did she do? Get on her knees and suck you off for a bag of caps? Damn it."

He missed his mark, and another bird earned its freedom.

"She has a...connection to Mr House that may be of use." Vulpes said, a thin smile stretched across his face that didn't reach his eyes. "And she's become some what idolized by the natives. Freeside especially. If we can show that your influence had spread, even to a woman such as herself, it will expand our reach. Not to mention, it will burn whatever morale she's created for the NCR right out from under them."

"A woman such as herself?" Caesar mocked. "Why if I didn't know any better I'd say you were rather taken with her, Fox."

"She's the perfect object lesson, one that will affect everyone in the Mojave when they see her converted to our cause."

"You'll have a lot of our men who won't be happy to see her, even if she does."

"They don't have to be. She's become a symbol to the NCR. One that is keeping many of their soldiers going. Nelson being a case and point. If we can change that, corrupt her in their eyes, it could turn the tide of this war. Once used," Vulpes shrugged, unable to look at any of the soldiers around him, "the men can do what they wish with her."

That got several happy mutterings from the crowd around him and sank a dense piece of lead in his stomach.

Caesar snickered and picked a tarberry from the platter, popping it into his mouth.

"You should have led with that."

_Think you could take it? Would you really just stand and watch as they-_

"Should have known all it took to get her off our backs was a good fuck. Though do tell me your plan isn't just to fuck her till she turns her back on the NCR?" Caesar took another shot,

"Of course not." Vulpes assured him, taking aim. "That's just a temporary inconvenience."

The shot echoed through the valley as Caesar buckled with laughter.

Vulpes watched the bird drop from the sky as Caesar clapped him on the back.

"I can't tell you how good it is to have you back, son. Especially after all that...unpleasantness we had to go through at Boulder to get that original letter of yours." He whistled using two fingers, the sound loud and grating, and with it, two more soldiers pulled what looked like a torn up ratty bag into view. "Can you imagine? Keeping it all to himself? What an nitwit."

The man was gaunt, his bare feet dragged along the ground. He'd been stripped to his undergarments and not only flogged but tortured till the skin had turned raw - like the hide of a rotting Brahmin. Without the moustache it took Vulpes a moment to realize who it was Caesar had paraded out in front of him.

"When I heard from others you'd been to Boulder, I had expected word within days, so imagine my surprise when…nothing? Nada? Zip. Thought it was a mistake at first. Misidentification. But then that Contubernium you and your whore caused trouble for returned. Informed me of your fraternization and I thought...he wouldn't have been so bold, knowing I would find out. And to do it all without a peep... But then you sent back Tulio, and your report only confirmed my fears of interference at Boulder. Yet again, your little friend here denied he'd ever seen you. See that's the problem with Boulder. Cursed land creates cursed people."

He motioned again, and the soldiers tied their prisoner to a wooden stake beside the Augury - the beginnings of a crucifix he noted. It hadn't been there the last time Vulpes had been in the Fort. He'd looked right past it.

"He spoke more once we dragged him in. Loudly, in fact though it took a while. That while he didn't know what you were up to, he knew that look in your eye. _Infatuation_." Caesar laughed as if the word was something made up by a child. "He thought you were protecting someone. Have to admit, he almost had me convinced. I can see why you sent him out of all the others to charm those NCR slackjaws. But then I remembered something. That you're the idiot who trained him to be that good. And that you're better than such...degenerate sentiments. That if I asked, you'd crucify the cunt."

"Of course Lord Caesar."

"Good. See that doesn't change. In the meantime, are you going to allow a traitor to the Legion, continue as part of your Frumentarii?"

Caesar stepped back.

Across the divide, Amulius was a shell of the man he'd been. All fight beaten out of him.

Vulpes slipped fresh ammunition into the shotgun, not taking his eyes off the target as he did.

He should have known better than to hand the letter to him in person. Should have seen in his eyes before he left that the idiot had no intent of handing that letter over to a Cursor. Known he had seen through the excuse of 'security' and right down to the core of what Vulpes was doing. He always had been good at that. Not that it had done him any good.

What had he even thought he was doing? He was Frumentarii.

He should have known better than all of them that Caesar sees everything.

That he was dead the moment he made the choice not to hand over the letter.

Vulpes cocked the shotgun and aimed.

What a waste.

-/-/-/-/-

"So..." Caesar said, pouring two tumblers of wine from a tin jug, "tell me how this whore of yours knows Mr House?"

It was only the two of them within Caesar's sleeping quarters, Lucius standing guard outside to ensure no one bothered them. It had changed in the months gone. The table was further right than it had been, and more chips - used to represent Legion forces - had been moved around, even more in the time gone yet in no discernible pattern he could point out.

Caesar took a gulp of his wine as he handed Vulpes the other tumbler.

He took a sip of the alcohol that tasted of Arizona and tried to remember what it was that Caesar had asked.

_How does your whore know House? He called her a whore. Are you going to let that senile old fuck say-_

"A Securitron down in Goodsprings hired her to deliver a Platinum Chip to the Strip. But she was shot on the way by Benny, a Chairman from the Tops. Locals call him Benny Gecko to piss him off apparently."

"The politics of the rabble down in Vegas doesn't interest me Vulpes but the girl does. What does this Chip do?"

"Not sure as of yet. The Courier mentioned that the Chip is oversized. If so, it could be the perfect match for the slot inside the bunker. No matter what it does, the Courier intends to find out once she retrieves it from Benny."

"How can you be sure she's going to go after Benny for it?"

"Because he's the reason she made her way to Vegas at all. The only thing between her and Benny now is the Vegas gate and the entrance fee and I somehow doubt that will stop her now."

"Wait, wait-" He cleared his throat, trying to hold back laughter. "Are you telling me that this Courier bitch has been fucking with my Legion as some side job while she was chasing some asshole across the wasteland for stealing her delivery?" He burst into laughter. "She's either crazy or has one hell of a deathwish."

"Both which work in our favour."

"Not necessarily. The last thing I need is some wild woman coming in and screwing everything up because the wind changed direction or her time of the month came and went." He filled his glass up again. "Women are fickle creatures. Plain stupid at the best of times. Conniving wenches at the worst. Won't have your little...infatuation with her clouding your judgement."

"There's no infatuation."

"I don't know." Caesar mused. "Starting to think I see what Amulius did. A look in your eye when I call her a whore."

Vulpes could only laugh and take a drink.

Caesar continued. "If it turns out she is in league with Mr House, we'll need her. She could be the key to opening that damned bunker. Maybe even removing House."

"My thoughts exactly."

"But if she doesn't agree to cooperate?"

"I've already come to a solution to that, as it were."

"Oh really?"

"Those bullets Benny shot through her brain caused long-term memory loss. She doesn't recall who she is and in response she's been rather...self-destructive. Looking for belonging in all the wrong places."

"Trust a woman to look for belonging through cock." Caesar laughed. "So, amnesia is it? Any idea who she was affiliated with before?"

"Nothing. If she existed before now, she was little more than a ghost. She appears to have been a Courier for a time, but was never one of our own."

"Can you pinpoint her accent?"

"Isn't NCR I can tell that much. Doesn't seem like it's from further east either. My best guess is she's from either the immediate surrounding area or a little further north. But back to my point. The Courier suffered a seizure recently. Brought on from stress. Makes her extremely malleable to suggestion."

"Am I supposed to be excited about our gift horse being an epileptic?"

"When I found Tulio, after he pulled his little stunt, all I had to tell her was that she was fighting a ghost for her brain to snap. She had fought him, was holding him down with her entire body weight with a blade to his neck, yet she looked back and I saw it in her eyes that she didn't see him. All because I told her she didn't."

Caesar paused, leaning back "I see."

"It was then she fell into the seizure and the entire event was wiped from her mind. It appears our Courier's mind can only deal with so much pressure before it...pops."

Caesar rubbed his chin and for over a minute he didn't say a word, looking away into the middle distance.

"Keep me updated on this. I agree there is...potential here."

"Of course lord Caesar."

"And use that Tulio boy for any messages. Seeing as you've fucked him up for anyone else."

"I would call it an improvement."

"Then you can keep him. Just so you're aware, in your absence Alerio organized sending Fabius to Boulder in Amulius' place. Said he was an understudy of sorts. While he won't be able to switch directly like Amulius, he'll come up with something. Shame it turned out that way really. From the sounds of his reports, Amulius had been getting some interesting stuff from those NCR fools."

Vulpes shrugged. "One cannot suffer a traitor to live."

Vulpes downed the last of his tumbler of wine as if it would get rid of the taste of the words on his tongue, but it just made him wish the wine was something stronger. Anything stronger.

"All this excitement and I haven't even welcomed you home." Caesar smiled and enveloped Vulpes into a hug. "You've travelled far. Go and put your feet up. Get some rest. Get one of the slaves to draw you a bath if you wish. Or warm your bed. Might get the stink of the native harlot off you." Caesar pulled away and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're home for now Vulpes. Enjoy it while you can."

-/-/-/-/-/-

The whisky was better than the wine, and the cigarettes better than the whisky. He was at the comfortable warmth stage of drunkenness, where if someone spoke to him they wouldn't be able to tell but Vulpes would, and he'd be impressed with himself for not getting caught. It felt like a warm cloak being thrown over his shoulders, his senses turned numb as the alcohol got harder and harder to handle until he was floating - like a leaf on a calm lake.

The bath too had helped, easing away aches and knots only traversing the Mojave could create.

Then the chirping started. Her voice in his ear as the slaves had skittered in and out to fill up the bath and bring food.

_What crimes could they have possibly been guilty of?_

He blew more smoke out and up towards the ceiling of the tent, letting it rise away from any nearby. It wasn't a night for that kind of moralizing. Especially not with a ghost.

Fingers ran up his spine and over his scars, the touch as soft as a rabbit's tail. He could feel the heat of her breath on his neck. Imagine her dressed in an even skimpier slip than the one she'd worn in Jacobstown, the fabric almost see-through as she knelt on the bed behind him, waiting for him to join her. He hadn't seen the point in changing once out the bath, turning straight to the familiar booze and cigarettes as he sat on the bed in little more than his small clothes.

He breathed in the smoke, allowing it to settle on his tongue for a moment before breathing out.

_You're going to end up like Amulius if you don't put that thing out._

Perhaps that's what he needed - a reminder of what could happen if he failed. He'd succeeded at everything he'd tried for so long. It was only reasonable to assume that he'd become complacent in it. But at the thought, her face came to his mind. The way she would run her hand down his back like she was providing a comfort. As if the scars were something that had hurt him.

_Don't sugar coat it, Inculta. They did hurt. A burning agony you haven't forgotten to this day. You didn't deserve it. You were just a boy at the time. How could you have-_

Vulpes filled his glass again.

_You can't ignore me, Foxx. _

The voice was so sweet and comforting, as the warm, soft skin he missed the same way he would miss breathing, curled up against his back and nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

_I am you, silly. _

He wanted to turn around. Break the spell he'd created, but that would take her away, and then he'd be alone with only the warmth of the drink for company.

_You don't really want me there. With you. Do you?_

While he'd been the one to invite her there, the sight of the men, salivating of the thought of having her at their mercy...

They didn't want her as he had. Not out of any kind of attraction but out the mere reasoning that she was a woman and they were owed her attention, her lust and her screams - for who else would she give them too? He poured another drink, hoping to douse the anger but instead, it made him honest.

He'd tear them apart if they touched her. Rip them limb from limb. Legionary or not.

Her lips were soft against his cheek, little more than a ghost.

He should have known the ache would only get worse. Before Freeside, his thoughts had been just that, dreams of a woman out of his reach as. The feel of her skin against his own, the pressure of her weight above him, the sound and heat of her voice as she moaned in his ear, all little more than fantasy, dispersing like morning fog with the rising of the sun.

But now, she was real. As real as the soldier's outside his tent. As real as Caesar. As real as Amulius.

The fool.

_He may be a fool. But he was only covering for the original fool in all of this. _

Vulpes poured another drink. The guards never did check his bag.

Under his spare clothes and the jacket from Sunnyvale, was Jude's black book; still, dog marked to the same page she read to him but instead of picking it, he flipped at random.

She had handed it to him with the nervousness of a schoolgirl.

_Just wanted you to have something of me. Something to remember me by. Maybe it will help._

And yet it didn't remind him of her, but of Graham. Of Caesar claiming it being the reason the Legate failed. That his faith in a false God over the Son of Mars had turned the Gods away.

That if his false God was so powerful, he would be saved by him. All before setting the Legate alight.

_Revelations 2:10. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life._

Vulpes couldn't help but wonder if that had been Graham's thought as he stood at the precipice of the Canyon.

_Do not fear what you are about to suffer._

_Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life._

His God had promised him life, but now he wandered, the branded Malpais Legate out in the Utah, wandering the state like a ghost.

_I doubt Amulius would complain, given the choice to wander the Utah or die like a dog by your hand. _

Vulpes turned only to be faced with the other side of his bed, empty and cold, a retort turning to ash on his tongue.

Already missing her heat, he savoured the final inhale on his cigarette, stamping it out in a gap between the rug and the edge of the tent, and lay back.

The smell lingered in the air for a moment, a preferable one to stink of dog and blood.

Amulius deserved better than the death he got. He deserved a better sendoff than being thrown from the battlements into the canyons below. A traitor's sendoff.

If they had been back in the tribe he would have been given a burial no matter the status. He could still recall the last one, before the Legion attacked their camp. One full of song and mourning for the lost person's soul until he was laid to rest in ground blessed by the shaman.

Amulius had been but a boy then with a different name. Vulpes doubted he remembered it. Vulpes barely remembered. They were more flashes. Pictures of a time before.

At least a burial and mourning would be more appropriate than the moralizing. More appropriate than the wondering. That if he had been given a sendoff just as Graham had been given - given time to repent to the God above - they would have granted him the same second chance.

Had the Courier done the same? Begged for a second chance to the Gods as she stared down the barrel?

It had been a long time since Vulpes could say he honestly doubted the Legion. Not even with the destruction of Boulder or when the great and powerful Caesar began to have those strange headaches, had shaken him. But he didn't have that voice then - like a chirping cricket in his ear, bringing all these thoughts to the surface and assuring him that he wasn't alone in the doubt. Wasn't alone in the belief something was terribly wrong.

Or perhaps he'd just had too much to drink and would forget all of it come morning.

-/-/-/-/-/-

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Vulpes first chapter back at the Fort!

Also just wanted to leave a wee note for Therecklessone so hope you see it! I'd love to answer your questions but can never reply to your reviews cause you're not signed in! Please feel free to send me a private note if you want and I can answer :)


	17. Chapter 17 - The Great Pretender

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The night was bright and clear and in full swing, the crooning of Dean Martin a soft background noise to the chatter outside the Mormon Fort. Benches and chairs had been moved, and several large bins scattered amongst them, glowing bright with fire to keep the party goers warm. Not that they needed it, the drink was doing the job better till no one felt the chill that had settled through the air or cared who they were chatting with. King's men talking, drinking and singing with Follower doctor's, locals and she was sure she'd even caught several cosying up to NCR citizens.

Jude couldn't help but admit it was nice, even if she had spent the beginning of the night waiting for a fight to break out, but it was as if no one was willing or had the mind to argue with a drink in them.

"While I'm flattered boss, you didn't have to throw all this for me."

Raul handed her another sarsaparilla, snapping her out of the daze she'd fallen into. "Woulda been happy with a cake. Honest."

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time. How you settlin' in?"

"Like a pig in mud." He laughed, the skin around his mouth healed over compared to other ghouls she'd met but still looking sore, like the tight skin of a bad burn. "Your friends have been nice enough to give me a full rundown of everything I might have missed while locked away. Well, everyone but that sniper fella. What's his name?"

"That'll be Boone." Jude sighed.

Raul snorted. "Never met a sniper with a normal name. Always sound like action heroes. Or act like one." He took a sip of his beer. "Have to say, you being that courier who was shot in the head makes sense."

"In what way?"

"Cause only someone with half their brains missing would have the cojones to walk into Black Mountain the way you did."

"Gee, thanks!"

"Hey, I ain't complaining! If it weren't for your lack of viable brain cells, I would still be sitting in Black Mountain wondering if Tabitha was bored of me yet."

"Bored? Of you?"

"Give it a couple more weeks. And wait until I tell you the same joke over and over just to pass the time."

"Can't be any worse than the stuff Veronica comes out with."

"She that Brotherhood scribe?"

"She told you about that?" Though Jude wasn't sure why it continued to surprise her every time Veronica decided to out herself as Brotherhood. The scribe hadn't exactly kept it a secret the first time they met.

"Wanted to make sure I know that, even though she's Brotherhood, she doesn't hate ghouls." He laughed to himself, shaking his head. "Better than being spat at but, still not something you hear every day."

"Was that what that was all about?"

Raul had yelled over as she had been talking to Julie, asking if Jude knew he was a ghoul this whole time and why she hadn't told him. Much to Veronica's embarrassment going by the look on her face. But being between the two conversations, it had taken Jude's brain a second too long to realise she was being spoken to, and by the time she'd figured it out, he was back to talking to them like nothing had happened, leaving Jude fearing she'd just had another seizure.

"Sorry if I interrupted your talk with that punk haired lady."

"That's Julie. And it was nothing. My brain just takes its sweet old time on occasion."

Raul snorted. "Sounds like we'll make a great team. You with your slow brain and me with my creaking joints. We'll take over the Mojave in no time. Caesar and the NCR won't know what hit 'em."

Jude laughed.

"Hey, Raul!" Cass called across the street. "You've been to Two-Sun right?"

Raul groaned. "It's too-son! Not Two-Sun!"

"Those two places sound the same to me! It's Legion run now ain't it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Ha! Told you!" Cass exclaimed to a couple of pissed off looking locals.

Raul looked confused. "I better go see what they're talkin' about. Looks like the birthday boy has finally arrived anyway."

It was the King with Rex bouncing around at his side.

"Enjoyin' yourselves?" The King asked, that smarmy yet charming grin plastered on his face. Yet there was a weight to it, as heavy as the bags under his eyes.

"Music and drinkin'? How can I not be?" Raul laughed. "I'll be back with the others if you need me, boss." Before Jude could say anything, Raul had walked off, leaving her and the King alone.

"Boss? You taking on titles now?" He teased and lit up a cigarette.

"Starting up a rival gang. Was thinking, The Couriers? Or The Queens? Something catchy. You're running late to your own party, y'know?"

He laughed, making the smoke come out in small puffs.

"Had a meeting I couldn't get out of with the NCR lady. Elizabeth, I believe."

"How's that going?"

"It ain't great but ain't bad either. Bad case of the moody blues but better than us beating the shit out of each other that's for damn sure." Rex barked, rubbing up against Jude's leg but staring up at the King. Jude scratched behind his ears, earning her another bark.

"I'm getting to that Rexy." The King said, "He wants to thank you for...uh... savin' his life and all. Didn't get a chance to do so before."

"_Rex_ wants to thank me?"

The King shrugged. "If I started thankin' you I wouldn't stop. Nice party."

"It was Julie who told me. Thought it would help. Chance for everyone to get drunk together. No barriers. So you gonna tell me how old you are now or is that a closely guarded secret?"

"Ain't givin' everythin' away. Heard them Garret twins threw you out of the Wrangler?"

"They didn't...throw me out. I left. They refused to house Lily. Said she was a 'danger'. Crock of brahmin shit. Wasn't about to make her sleep on the street after I dragged her all the way down here. Julie was nice enough to help."

"Julie always is. Woulda helped ya myself though if you'd asked. No need for you to be sleepin' in tents."

"You would have let a Nightkin stay in your School?"

"You ain't been wrong so far about folk."

Jude laughed, wondering what the leader would say if he found out about Foxx. That had been someone she had been wrong about, though she couldn't help but wonder if there had been a willingness to it. Her mind not letting her see what was right in front of her. Or maybe she was just that oblivious and stupid.

"Doubt Pacer would agree."

"You seen him as of late?"

"Why?"

"I don't know what you said that day. Never asked. But it's done somethin'. Offered to be in charge of the relief effort with that Major."

"And you trusted him?"

He shrugged. "People change. Wanna give him that chance."

Jude couldn't argue. Wasn't that exactly what she was hoping would happen with Inculta? No matter how pie in the sky that hope was.

"Just don't tell him I was going to ask Foxx first." The King continued. "Until you went and stole him away, that is. Where is the scoundrel anyway?"

"Had some business to attend to before he headed back."

The King snorted. "There are times I swear...I wonder..."

"Wonder what?"

The King shrugged. "If he's some deep undercover agent of the big man in Vegas. Always scurrying around."

"Could say the same about me."

"I already know you're connection to House. He's the reason you ended up almost takin' a dirt nap. But you ain't workin' directly. Wouldn't need to earn the entrance fee to go and face the Ben man if you were."

"Who do you think I am then?"

"One of the few who are who they say they are. No tricks. No games. I respect that."

"And you don't Foxx?"

"No, I do. Just times when somethin' just don't sit right...You feel me?"

"Yeah...yeah, I think I do."

"Keep an eye on him pussycat. You're one of the good ones. Hate to lose you to someone playing all sides for his own gain."

"I can look after myself."

"Don't doubt it. Just some advice from a friend if you want it."

"Jude!" Veronica shouted over.

"You wanna join us?"

"Wouldn't want to impose."

"Impose at your own party? Please. Come on."

The group had sequestered themselves in a semicircle of chairs and boxes, whatever was available to sit on and around a fire burning in one of the bins. At the sight of the King, they cheered.

"Kept your birthday a secret!" Arcade said.

"You call this secret?"

Cass cackled from her seat between Arcade and Veronica. "This is small fry compared to what I had planned, thank you. Lily just wasn't able to bake a cake large enough to fit the women inside! Ow!" Jude thwacked Cass across the head.

"Women inside a cake?" The King questioned.

"Y'know? Like a giant cake but a woman is hidden inside and pops out? Is this just an NCR thing?"

"Sounds like too much fun to be an NCR thing." Veronica grumbled.

"They still do that? That was old fashioned even before the war! Ain't that right Lily?" Raul asked the Nightkin, who was seated behind them all.

"I did that once. For your grandfather back in the Vault." Lily laughed. "Didn't look like this at the time though!"

"Lily! You old fox!"

"Did not need that image in my head!" Cass groaned.

"Oh! Jude! That reminds me! Need you to back me up on this!" Veronica said.

"How did that remind you?" asked Arcade.

"I'm being serious, we saw them! Jude, Jude remember when we picked up that robot for the Wrangler?"

"The sex robot? Yeah."

The King choked on his drink. "Say that again?"

"Wait...what are we meaning here by sex robot?" Asked Raul.

"You want more information?" Questioned Arcade.

"It was just like one of those Protectron bots but with...additions."

"What kind of additions?" Cass cackled. "Did you try it out?"

"No! Course not!"

Cass shrugged. "I would have."

"This is not the point!" Veronica waved, looking a little tipsy. "Remember those muggers? The ones that tried to jump us outside of the factory?"

"She just found a sex bot and you think some muggers are going to be the thing she remembers?"

"Oh, wait! That the three old ladies in the pink dresses? Oh, what was their name...Maud! Maud's muggers wasn't it?"

"That's it!"

"You two are fucking with us aren't you?"

"I swear!"

"Is that what you were rambling about that time you had the head injury?" Arcade asked. "I was worried you both had some sort of brain damage!"

"Probably did! Those rolling pins were solid!"

"Excuse me?" A young man stood behind Boone, bright grey eyes looking over each of them. "Sorry for interrupting. Was told you might be able to help me?"

"Sorry kid, we're off the clock."

"Cass! It's fine. What's wrong?" Jude leaned forward, trying to look as welcoming as she could. The kid was early twenties at most and wide-eyed like every Vegas newbie she'd seen. Freeside was difficult enough to figure out with everyone minding their own business. Arriving during a party would have only made her more lost.

"Oh, nothing's wrong!" He assured them. His accent was strange, like nothing Jude had heard in the area or even from NCR citizens and he wasn't dressed like one either. Underneath a heavy leather jacket was a dark blue Vault suit that looked like it had seen better days.

Her first thought was a Vault Dweller but she had no doubt people thought the same of her.

"I'm actually looking for someone. A Courier? Been asking around and several people told me about one that goes around in a Vault suit that might be able to help me, then I saw you and well...here I am!"

"You've been looking for me?" Jude asked, eyes narrowing.

"Been looking for a Courier, don't know if it's you but man I hope it is! You're brave to be wandering this city, I'll say! I've been all over the Mojave looking for at least one of you dudes to still be alive, but every time I found them they were already dead!"

"What do you mean?"

"Y'know...dead. Deceased? Fallen off their mortal coil? Pushing up daisies? Ceased to be? Looked like they'd all been robbed too which has _not _helped." He ran a hand through shaggy dark hair. In the light of the fire, his skin looked bronze, like a very dark tan and on his arm glinted a pip-boy.

If it was a trick from the Legion, it was an impressive one, and it was about the time she'd expected them to make an attempt if Inculta decided to backstab her.

_If he's even still alive._

Somehow she preferred the idea that he'd just turned. At least then she could be angry rather than think about the image of him strung up on a cross, resenting having ever met her.

"You have a Pip-Boy?"

"Oh, this old thing? Yeah. Had it since I was a kid. Grew up in one of them Vaults back East. Got quite a shock when I left it, let me tell you!"

"You're from the East?" Boone interrupted him.

"D.C. born and raised!"

"You're a long way from home, kid." Arcade said.

"You're tellin' me. Figured that out once I hit Arizona way and met those Legion fellas for the first time. Crazy! Oh! I'm sorry, where are my manners?" He held out his hand to her, grinning.

"Name's Jude DeWitt, and I'm hoping you can help me find my Dad."

-/-/-/-/-/-

The man on the cross was still alive but not moving. There was only so much pain the human body could cope with before shock set in, knocking the person out and defeating the entire point of the punishment.

Vulpes motioned to the Legionaries at either side and, like they had heard his thoughts, they took their spears and dug the blade under the man's ribs, just enough to cut the skin. Motor-Runner jerked awake with a scream.

"You didn't think you'd get out of this that easily, did you?" Vulpes said, baring his teeth in a sadistic grin but the Fiend was too far gone to answer, away to that in-between world of agony before death set in and where nothing made sense any more.

The four captures, a woman and three men, all held hostage for months by Fiends and left to rot by the NCR, stared up at him or at the Fiend on the cross unsure how they should feel.

It had been so long since he'd adorned his Frumentarii guise yet the moment the coyote hood went up, it was as if he'd never been out of it, the garb holding as much power as the Ripper on his hip.

"My friends! You find yourself in a very fortuitous position." Vulpes began.

One of them, the woman, was glaring daggers at him. The problem child no doubt.

"The Bear was willing to leave you to die in the hands of Fiends. But the grace of the great Caesar shines upon you. He bore witness to this disservice of your talents and has seen fit to free you. And give you a choice. _For they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart."_

Vulpes had to admit, Jude's little book had been a great help though perhaps not in the way she had hoped. It was rather full of material, and he now understood where Graham had gotten a great many of his ideas and speeches.

Three of the prisoners looked confused. Broken beyond measure. Vulpes didn't know what kind of torture Fiends applied but whatever it was, had been working. If only the Fiends hadn't been such chem huffing degenerates. Then perhaps Caesar would have thought twice before telling Inculta to wipe them from the face of the Mojave.

"Caesar is willing to forgive all your crimes against the Legion, being born into NCR chains included. You will be given new names. New purpose. And your lives. All he asks for in return is your unwavering loyalty."

They looked between each other. He could see the unspoken conversation. Each wondering if the other was going to agree. Sell themselves to the devil. Then, one by one, they nodded.

All but the woman.

"Fuck you." The problem child spat. "I'd rather die."

The others looked down, away from the woman and their words.

She had been beaten the worst so they had little excuse for giving in so quick while she stood resolute, even in the face of the Desert Fox. Though it appeared that she hadn't managed to keep her mouth shut when around the Fiends either.

"I'd rather die free than live for one second as a slave to Caesar." She continued. "Cause that's all you are. A slave with a title."

His first instinct was the laugh but it died in his throat, the words too real to be laughed at.

_You know she's right, that's why. You know it. You know it. You know it. You know-_

At first, they looked ready to reject her. To turn away from their comrade and accept his gracious offer.

"She's right." One said. "We're NCR. Soldiers. Not slaves."

"Are we sure now? That was an awfully quick turn around." Vulpes said.

They stuttered but nodded in the end. The woman stood firm.

Vulpes sighed.

"Kill the woman." He ordered. "Crucify the others."

The men cried out all at once demanding he stop, wanting answers while the woman didn't flinch. It was almost amusing their desperation. How they thought getting him to stop would make him realise how wrong he was. How 'unfair' he was being, and if only he would look into their eyes, he would realise how cruel.

"The woman at least showed some semblance of loyalty." He explained, examining the dirt underneath his nails. "It should be rewarded. Your cowardice should not be."

"You told us we'd be forgiven by Caesar!"

"And you believed me?" Vulpes laughed. "We would never take soldiers so willing to betray their own." He motioned for the men at his side to continue their jobs. "And make sure to nail them to the cross not tie them!" He called back. "It's supposed to be a punishment after all!"

Oh, he had missed this.

-/-/-/-/-/-

_Name's Jude DeWitt, and I'm hoping you can help me find my Dad._

A coincidence. That was all. Just a coincidence. More than one person can have the same name.

"What makes you say that?" Jude asked.

DeWitt shrugged and reached into his jacket pocket. "I think it 'cause you wrote me and told me you did? One sec."

Her first instinct was to jump up and walk away, but she caught Arcade's eyes and it was enough to keep her in her seat. This was the link to her past they had been waiting for. Looking for. What that small bible she'd awoken with hadn't been able to provide. It had given her a name and a quote but little else. This kid was real. Solid. And even if she was shaking, she had to sit there. Sit there and listen and take it. She had to.

"Says that you had info, something of his and that he was alive?" The other Jude said, the weight of all the stares around him appearing to be getting to them. "Take a look."

The letter looked as if it had been torn open by a Deathclaw, little of the envelope intact, but she could still read the postmark. Sent from New Reno several months earlier, to be delivered to Rivet City, Washington D.C. to a Jude DeWitt. Going through several Courier's in the process judging from the number of stamps.

The letter inside was well-worn too, but it was still legible in writing she recognised.

"This is my handwriting." She muttered before speaking the letter aloud.

_Dear Jude, _

_This is going to sound insane but please just read it through before you throw it in the trash and never think about it again? _

_You don't know me. We've never met but I have met your father. He saved me when he didn't have to and now I'm hoping to return the favour, if I can._

_He's alive. He's being held captive and I think you know by who. He never wanted you to know, but it's getting to a point now where I fear for his safety. _

_They have him on a secret project and I've heard whispers of him being 'removed' once he's outlived his usefulness. I've tried to get him out of that place myself but he won't leave. Not while he thinks escaping will put you in danger. You're my only chance of getting him out of there. _

_I understand if you don't trust me. I wouldn't either, but I can prove I know him and that I'm a friend. I have something of his. Something I believe belonged to you once upon a time. _

_I'll be sending this letter from New Reno, but about to start a job down in Vegas, so, if you wanna talk or want a hand in getting to your old man, ask around there for me. Job should be done by then and I'll be hanging around. _

_God knows I've made some bad choices in my life, but I'm hoping contacting you is going to be one of my better ones. _

_Hope to meet you soon. _

_-Courier Six. _

_21:6_

"It was that end bit, the twenty-one six reference? That sealed it for me. Coulda still have been a trap, but knew I had to at least come check it out or I'd never forgive myself." DeWitt said with a grin.

"It some kind of code or something?" Cass asked, looking between the two of them.

"I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end." Jude said.

"I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Hells yeah, dude!" He laughed. "Oh man, so it is you! Did he tell you about it? How'd you find him? Was it the Enclave? Had to be Enclave right? I knew there was something fishy about his body being gone, but no one ever listened!"

"W-weren't the Enclave wiped out years ago with Navarro?" Arcade asked.

"Might be gone on this side of the U.S. but they were alive and kicking the shit outta us in D.C. couple years back. Tried to poison our water supply with this modified FEV Virus. Was a whole thing getting rid of them!" He laughed, talking as if asked about the weather. "Thought my dad had died in the fight. Heck, I saw him die! But then I realised somethin'. Never found the body! And that other dude, Autumn? He died too! But he was walking around fine months later. So I thought, if there is even a small chance they took him and he's alive, I'm going to take it. Trap or no trap! Plus you knew about the Revelations quote." He said to her. "No way you could know that without talkin' to him. No way!" He took in a deep breath then out, like the thought had been weighing down on his chest. "God, you have no idea how excited I am! Have so many questions!"

No one around her said a thing. She tried to think of something to fill in the silence, but it was as if someone had changed the language settings on her brain, and she was trying to speak and understand something completely alien.

"I say something wrong?" DeWitt laughed nervously.

"I've never been to Reno."

The comment sounded stupid, even to her own ears yet nothing else was coming to her mind.

"How do you know? Sounds like it was from before Benny got his hands on you." Cass said.

"I don't even know who the Enclave are."

_Liar. _

She couldn't breathe. Why couldn't she breathe?

"The bible." Arcade said. "The one you woke up with? Didn't it-"

"I need some air." She interrupted before he could finish the thought, springing to her feet but Arcade grasped her wrist before she could run-off.

"Jude, just give yourself a minute."

"No way! Your name is Jude too? How trippy is that!"

"I never wrote any letter."

"You said so yourself, it's your handwriting." Arcade added. "Don't you want to know?"

No. Not anymore. She didn't want to know what she'd done.

_God knows I've made some bad choices in my life, but I'm hoping contacting you is going to be one of my better ones._

God, Inculta was right. He'd been right all along.

"Sorry, am I missing something here?" DeWitt asked.

"The situation is a little complicated." Arcade stood, now squeezing her shoulder. "Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private? Talk over it all?"

"I'm down for whatever man. Like water. Just go with the flow, y'know?"

Freeside suddenly felt far too small.

"I...I just...Can I have a minute? Just...um..." She rubbed the bridge of her nose, her head screaming.

"Jude just stay calm, okay? You don't want to trigger a seizure."

"I'm calm. I am perfectly calm. I just need...five minutes? Please Arcade?" Jude begged.

"You shouldn't be alone right now."

"Some of my men around outside the gates. Anything happens they'll let us know." The King said. "Let her take five, eh Specs?"

She could see in his eyes that it was the last thing Arcade wanted to do, but he relented.

"It'll be okay, Jude." He assured her.

She nodded backing away, a high pitched sound ringing in her ears the way it would before she started to cry.

"I'll... I'll be back."

Shuffling through the crowds of laughter and drinking, Jude did her best not to think about it. She didn't want to think about it. Think about the fact she wasn't really Jude. About what it was she could have possibly done that had made her feel guilty enough to send a letter across the country to some stranger.

She swiped a bottle off a table, whiskey or vodka she didn't care- just needing something to fill that hollow ache in her chest. It burned the back of her throat and tasted like how she imagined pure gasoline or rocket fuel did. Overwhelming every sense and rushing straight to her head. While strange, the sensation was pleasant, warm and what she needed. Something that numbed her.

She could already see Inculta's face. His smug, self-satisfied fucking face at how he'd known all along, before even she had, and while the thought of it was killing her, she wanted him there. To sink into him, for there was no one else in the entire fucking desert who got it as he did. Got her as he did. He'd known from the start. Known before even she'd been willing to see.

She could still hear the joyous celebrations from the other side of the Freeside gate. A caravaner sat at a campfire and waved to her, but she couldn't bring herself to wave back. Just to down more of the liquor.

"Hey! Courier!" It was a group of the King's men. They beckoned her over, and she lost the ability to breathe as if she was free-falling off the side of a mountain. The shouted for her again, but she ignored them, heading towards North Vegas as she took another drink.

Perhaps she should just keep walking. Keep going till she reached the mountain pass that would take her up Utah way and beyond, keeping her feet busy and mind quiet. But she'd have to stop one day. Being brought back to it no matter what she did- back to the voices that reminded her of how stupid she had been to just take the first name she found and assume it as her own without even a thought to being mistaken.

She was a _Courier_. Of course, what she carried didn't belong to her. There wasn't anything in the Mojave that did. Everything stolen or borrowed or given, from her vault suit to her Pip-Boy and the Liberator on her hip.

The bottle was half empty by the time she reached Freeside's North gate. Her head was dizzy, everything swaying if she didn't concentrate hard enough.

It was quiet, the closer to the Vegas Gate she got the less of Freeside she heard, and more of the sleepless city poured over the wall.

Benny. He was her's. The one who had taken everything. Had left her to die in the dirt and put her on the only path she'd known.

"Submit to a credit check or present your passport before proceeding to the gate. Trespassers will be shot."

Jude couldn't see much of the woman standing before the towering Securitron, only that they had short brown hair and wore a white Follower's coat.

"One-Sea. Three-Sea. Arr-Three-Four. Emm."

Jude thought she'd misheard for a second, that she really had suffered some kind of seizure during her walk and was once again hallucinating some madness. But then the Securitron jolted, the screen turning blank as it buzzed and clicked.

Then it switched back on as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you, madam. You may proceed."

Jude watched confused, the Secruitrons letting the woman past and into Vegas.

1C 3C R34 M.

The robots were scarier up close, and the ones with the police setting just unnerved her. Unlike Victor with his endearing cowboy personality, these were brutes, willing to chase down and kill whoever didn't abide by their idea of the law or just plain annoyed them. It was possible that the wrong answer would end in her being blown into tiny pieces against the wall.

Oh, God, what was she doing?

"Submit to a credit check or present your passport before proceeding to the gate. Trespassers will be-"

"One-Sea. Three-Sea. Arr-Three-Four. Emm."

The same thing happened again, clicks and whirring before it wheeled back.

"Thank you, madam. You may proceed."

She couldn't breathe.

Benny was right behind those doors. He would know. He'd have the answers she needed. He had to.

New Vegas came around her in a rush; throwing her into a tailspin of colour and noise, welcoming her back as if she'd never left it. The Strip went on forever in a cacophony of blinding flashing lights and grimy old-world buildings, a manic juxtaposition of shapes and forms that grinned down, urging her to just step inside with the promise of all her worries melting away. Such a simple lie yet one all those entrapped within casino walls had fallen for, pouring all their heart and sorrow into a city that stood without conscience or even real malice; as a part of the Mojave skyline as the Red Rocks or Joshua Trees.

And The Lucky 38 before her was the shining jewel of it all.

She shouldn't have come here. Shouldn't have been so foolish as to walk through the gate. This wasn't her world of rock and blood and metal but something entirely different. Darker. Meaner. And she wanted no part of it.

"Howdy Partner!" Jude near jumped out her skin and the bottle slipped from her hand, landing to the cracked asphalt with a crash.

"Victor?"

She had to look up to look him in his face. The cowboy cartoon, smiling away on Victor's screen was the equivalent of slipping into her well-worn Vault suit. A familiar comfort yet putting her on edge.

"My you've come a far piece, haven't you! Welcome to New Vegas!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Consider me your personal welcome wagon! Now, hear this - the head honcho of New Vegas, Mr House is just itchin' to make your acquaintance."

She was numb. Too numb to acknowledge what that really meant.

"But I...I don't have the chip yet."

"Don't worry about that old detail. Follow me, I can take you up there. Wait till you see the view from up top! Pretty as a picture!"

Most of the Strip's clientele were too far gone to pay attention to a silly old Courier but not all. At the sight of her with an odd-looking Securitron, several had turned to watch with rapt attention, more and more following suit the closer she got to the doors of the Lucky 38.

"Why are people watchin'?"

"You don't know?" Victor stopped at the entrance. "Why your the first guest Mr House has had in over two-hundred years! Now ain't that somethin'!"

The robot opened the door, a stench of musk and mildew hitting her square in the face.

Whispers turned to mutters behind her, loud enough to be heard over the music. A crowd had gathered now.

"Take the elevator straight on up now." Victor said. "The boss is waiting for you up in the Penthouse."

She wished she hadn't lost her drink. All sense of drunkenness had left her system, leaving her utterly and terrifyingly sober.

She shouldn't have come to this place. She should never have walked through the gate and yet she had. And was now walking into the Lucky 38 alone, the doors closing with a loud, metallic thud behind her.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

_Cause that's all you are. A slave with a title._

Somehow killing the woman hadn't made him feel better. Only now she was dead, and he felt worse.

_Not a slave. _

_You are Inculta. You know it. _

The stink of smoke burned at his nostrils. Smoke and burning flesh, that in a sick sense, did little but remind him of his Courier. While he had missed the detail out when debriefing Caesar, it had been while out on a job with her that he'd decided the Fiends had to be culled. The raider group becoming more of a problem than they were worth, even if they did keep the NCR busy.

New Vegas dominated the skyline, and with it, Vulpes found it difficult to ignore just how nearby she was. The closest they had been since Jacobstown. It being only a couple of hours walk from South Vegas to Freeside, there had been a temptation to send the contubernium on without him while he took a small detour.

The only thing stopping him was the lack of recon, and it wasn't something he had the time for. Without him in her ear, there was a possibility of his Courier coming to her senses during their time apart. Letting all of Freeside know the true identity of one Mr Foxx. Unless sheer embarrassment was keeping her quiet. Unable to verbalise even to herself how she'd fucked a Legion soldier. Repeatedly.

_Cause that's all you are. A slave with a title._

God, what he wouldn't give for a drink. To drown out the words that were only getting louder and each time they drove their way to the forefront of his thoughts.

It sounded like something the Courier would say. Perhaps that was why it had taken him off guard. That for a moment, the NCR woman had been Jude, glaring up at him with complete and utter contempt.

And he'd just killed her.

_Not the same._

_Wasn't it? Wasn't it really?_

Vulpes rubbed the bridge of his nose, wishing that the next week could just be skipped over.

He looked back to Vegas, it's lights blacking out all the stars above it. Then a new light joined the skyline, one that took Vulpes seconds to realise what it was. The Lucky 38 lighting up like a Christmas tree before his eyes.

-/-/-/-/-/-


End file.
